


Madam Goya's Tea-Chest

by Mice



Series: Sea Change [6]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Comfort, M/M, Pirates, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sea Voyage, obnoxious gossip columnists, reference to past child abuse, the crew of the Bold Arva - Freeform, unexpected romantic declarations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:22:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26204881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mice/pseuds/Mice
Summary: Flynn Fairwind and the crew of the Bold Arva are hired for a salvage mission off the coast of Pandaria. Mathias Shaw deals with political obstacles in Stormwind.
Relationships: Flynn Fairwind/Mathias Shaw
Series: Sea Change [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875685
Comments: 125
Kudos: 98





	1. Echoes of Dampwick

**Author's Note:**

> with thanks to the delightfully mad JaguarMirror for the beta scrub

The _Middenwake_ was finally out of drydock. The work had been completed at a much faster clip than Flynn expected, and he imagined the Lord Admiral must have had a hand in that. He'd arrived that morning through the portal from Stormwind to see her launched shortly after midday. Her crew hadn't been hired yet, so Flynn, one of the Admiralty's Tidesages, and some day-hires had taken her from the drydocks to her slip in Boralus Harbor. It was a jaunt of less than an hour, and they'd only needed a skeleton crew to handle the lines for casting off and docking, with a Tidesage aboard.

It had been good to see the old girl afloat again, her beams in proper order, her rigging tight and shipshape, and all her brass shining like new. Oh, she was a pretty sight. Knowing she'd be at sea again soon, with a new captain and crew under his command left Flynn's heart light as a seagull in the wind. He wished Mathias could have been here with him to see her, but the man was mired deep in the search for Sylvanas Windrunner. Flynn thought he was pushing himself too hard sometimes, and he worried, but this moment, with the _Middenwake_ bright and refurbished under his gaze from the docks was a moment for celebration.

Flynn had a meeting in a bit with Henrietta Storm, who went by Henry, a young captain out of Stormsong Valley, who'd come highly recommended. Flynn had never sailed with her, so he couldn't vouch for her personally, but he was to meet her at the Loose Cannon in Hook Point to discuss their contract. He'd never quite considered how much work there was in hiring someone to captain a ship.

The way to Hook Point took him through Dampwick Ward. It was always a place to watch your pockets, though it was less of an issue during a bright afternoon. Flynn wended his way through the area, keeping a sharp eye out.

He'd spent his childhood in Dampwick, doing the dirty work of one of the gangs after his mother died -- picking pockets, standing lookout for older kids breaking into buildings, cold and starving and sleeping under walkways to stay out of the rain. Working for a gang was the only way to survive; the orphanages in Boralus were stifling and regimented, their "discipline" just as violent as that of the gangs, and the pity in the eyes of the matrons, who believed their charges would never succeed in anything they tried, was soul-destroying. It was a terrible time in his life, and it had taken him two years to escape the gang and make his way to Freehold. He'd signed aboard a pirate vessel as a cabin boy and never looked back.

He hated Dampwick.

Hook Point was less of a mess. Close to the Proudmoore Academy barracks, it was a strange mix of the upper classes and the city's dregs. The Loose Cannon was a perfect example of the neighborhood, with drunken wharf rats mixing with the academy's cadets in ways that frequently ended in bar fights. Somehow a fitting place to meet the woman who might be the _Middenwake_ 's new captain. It was rather more like the tension of his own life than he liked to consider -- the former pirate and the king's advisor, men from different worlds with more in common than anyone might understand from a glance at the surface.

He sauntered in the door. "Mirjam," he greeted. The innkeeper looked up at him.

"Fairwind." She nodded. "Heard you were berthed in Stormwind these days." She pulled a mug of Hook Point Porter for him and slapped it on the table he'd chosen. 

Flynn paid her for the drink as he sat. "It's true."

"And you with your own trading company now. Warming that Mainlander's bed seems to have put the wind in your sails." She put one hand on her hip and stood there looking down at him, smirking.

Flynn glowered back up to her. "It was the war that changed the tides for me, not Mathias." That was what he told himself, at least. He didn't want to believe that his good fortune had been handed to him by rich and powerful patrons as some sort of sop to his partner. "I worked hard for what I have, Mirjam. And I've been lucky enough to find a man who loves me. I'll thank you not to insult us by implying he'd give me favors for fucking him. He doesn't do _favors_ for anyone."

She shrugged. "Meant no insult. Glad you've been lucky. I know what your fortunes were like before."

The door opened and Flynn heard his name. "Captain Fairwind."

He looked up at the raven-haired woman who'd entered, dressed in a neat greatcoat and a red leather tricorne. She wore her hair in a long braid down her back. "Captain Storm." He gestured to the other seat at his table. "Mirjam, bring her a drink."

"Pale ale," Storm said. Flynn gave Mirjam coin for it. Storm reached out her hand and Flynn shook it. "Henry Storm," she said as she sat. "Been looking forward to meeting you." She was a handsome woman, with sea-grey eyes and a determined set to her mouth. Definitely looked like someone who didn't let life get in her way. 

"Likewise. Your contract with House Stormsong's finished, then?"

She nodded and sighed. "Aye. They'd been leaving me hanging about whether they'd give me my own ship this time out or bust me back down to First Mate to one of the scions of the house again. I've had a taste of the captaincy and I won't be sent back like that. I did well on that contract; I deserve a ship of my own. I'm done with the Stormsongs. They can bugger a sea skrog for all I care."

Flynn chuckled and she smiled at his reaction, her eyes merry. He liked her attitude. "Tell me about your last voyage," he said, and he settled in to hear the tale.

***

They'd talked for a few hours and he'd offered Storm the contract, confident he'd made the right decision. They parted ways and Flynn made his way back toward the Tradewinds Market to take himself home. Mathias was expecting him for dinner; they'd made plans to go to the Blue Recluse.

His hand moved by instinct when he felt the fingers in his pocket. Thought wouldn't have been fast enough to catch the small wrist he found in his fist. He turned and twisted the wrist and the kid yelped.

"Let go of me!" 

It was a young one, filthy and blond, barefoot and dressed in rags. "Or what?" He held the kid's arm behind their back. 

"I'll call the guards!"

Flynn sighed. "No you won't. You don't want that anymore than you want to go back empty handed to your watcher."

A small, pale face splashed with mud turned to him. She had brown eyes, open wide in that strange mix of fear and anger that he remembered so well. "How would you know?" she spat. She was thin as a reed and too young.

"Trust me, I know." He followed her nervous glance over her shoulder and spied the gang's watcher in the shadows of a nearby building. "I was you, once." The guy was big. Beefy. Looked like a real bruiser. He looked back down at her.

"Y'can't be. You've got money." She paused a moment and Flynn waited. "If you know, then give me some coin so he won't beat me."

"Looks like he's the type to do worse to the pretty ones," Flynn said, the memories aching in his chest. The raw look of terror in her eyes told him he was right. "I was the pretty one, once." 

Her mouth gaped open. "You do know," she whispered. Beefy's attention had been caught by their little tableau in front of him, too far away to hear their voices. Flynn settled on a plan before he could think.

"Do you want out of this life, kid?"

"There's no way out of this," she said, nervous. "What are you gonna do, take me home to the wife and make me the scullery?" she spat, suddenly angry. "Or are you like him, you like fucking kids?"

"No," Flynn said, calm as ice. "I don't have a wife, and the man I'm going home to wouldn't want a kid in the house anyway. But I do have a ship, and that ship needs a cabin boy."

"I'm not a boy."

"Powder monkey."

She gave him a puzzled look. "Like with the cannons and all? Are you a pirate?"

He shook his head. "Not anymore. I run a trading company, and I have a berth on my ship that needs filling. Do you want to come or not? If you don't, I'll give you a few coins and you can stay where you are. If you hate this, like I did, then come with me. Learn to be a sailor."

Beefy knew something was up and started moving toward them as the kid hesitated. "Make up your mind now, because we're about to have company."

The look in her eyes morphed to terror. "He'll kill you."

"I really doubt that," Flynn said, letting go of her wrist as Beefy came dashing up, his fist going back in an arc that would likely break Flynn's jaw if the punch connected. He ducked under the swing. Beefy had obviously never fought anyone faster than him, because the punch unbalanced him and Flynn flipped the man over his back. Beefy landed with a thud and Flynn kicked him in the head a few times, leaving him unconscious in the mud, not even getting his hands dirty. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a couple of small shadows running off.

Flynn turned to where the kid was cowering under a gangway. "We need to get out of here now. The others are going back for more of the gang." He reached out to her. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and grabbed his hand. She'd never be able to run fast enough with bare feet through the broken glass and the stones, so he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, running for the stairway up to the wall that divided Dampwick from the market. Thank the Tidemother for all that mountain-goating he'd been having to do in Stormwind.

His feet pounded in the muddy streets and people parted around him, undoubtedly confused about what was going on but not willing to get involved. That was Dampwick for you. The girl 'oof'ed and 'ow'ed as she bounced on his shoulder, but he wasn't going to stop. He skirted the Ashvane Docks at a dead run before he finally slowed, chest aching and gasping for breath, as he saw the rise from the docks up to the wall. Chancing a look behind them, he didn't see anyone following, so he slowed to a stop and hefted her to the ground, setting her on her feet.

"You kicked Bart in the head. Is he dead?" She seemed unsure about whether to be excited or terrified.

"Probably not, but I doubt he'll be going anywhere for a while. Come on, we're going into the market. If you're going to be a sailor, you need some actual clothes, not these filthy rags."

She stood there staring up at him like he was utterly mad. "You really meant it."

"I did. I do."

"Can… can I have shoes?" Tidemother, the question was enough to break his heart.

"You can have shoes." Her eyes went wide. "When was the last time they fed you?"

"Yesterday morn, I think."

"Tide's sake," Flynn grumbled. "Food first. Come on." He held out his hand and she took it, still hesitant, but a little more willing to give it a go. He'd not have been very trusting either, if someone had offered him an out.

They ascended the wall and crossed past the gryphons into the market, brightly lit and active in the early evening darkness. "I'm Captain Fairwind," he said. "What's your name, kid?"

"Billie." She followed him, her cold little hand in his, gawping at the market and the lights. They hadn't sent her in to pinch stuff yet, then. 

"And do you have a surname? Do you remember it?"

"Nets. Billie Nets."

"Sounds like a fisherman's name," Flynn said. She nodded. "And how old are you, Billie Nets?"

"Nine. I think." She was so damned young. About the same age Flynn had been when he'd finally escaped.

He stopped at the first food cart and bought her a couple of skewers of grilled dead things. Fish, fowl, flesh, it didn't matter. Something for her to eat. He handed them to her and she wolfed them down without even stopping for breath. He remembered being that way, never knowing when the next food would come, or whether someone bigger and stronger would take what you had away. She wiped her greasy fingers on her ragged clothes. He bought her a little watered-down ale, and she drank that down fast as well, but she looked a little steadier after both.

"Okay, time for clothes." She was still too quiet, but Flynn supposed it was better than incessant questions. That would probably come later, when she was feeling a little more secure. He bought her a little seabag and tucked it over his own shoulder, because he didn't want it to stink of her filthy rags before she could get clean and into her new togs. 

It took him a while to find someone who sold clothes for kids, because most of the Tradewinds Market catered to the port, but eventually they found someone. The woman in the shop glared at him. "How dare you bring that filthy little thing in here."

He glowered. "I really don't care what you think. I have gold, you have clothes. We'll have some for her. Smallclothes, a couple of sets. Trousers. A tunic. A belt. Woolen greatcoat if you've got one that might fit her. Scarf. A pair of shoes."

"I'll let you buy for her, but she's not touching anything or trying it on. She stinks." Flynn sighed and held things up to Billie's skinny frame, hoping for something that was close, and going for things that were slightly larger, because she'd grow into them quick as you please. Eventually, he had everything, including a little green canvas tricorne that made her eyes dance. He paid in gold and shoved everything into the seabag.

"One last stop before we head out," he said, leading her down to the Harbormaster's office. Cyrus kept private rooms above the office for days when he couldn't get away and just go home, and Flynn knew there was a shower there as well.

Cyrus looked up as Flynn and Billie entered. His eyes went wide as saucers. "Fairwind, what in the abyss have you done?"

"I've hired a cabin boy."

"I'm not a boy!" Billie snapped.

"Powder monkey."

Cyrus crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "You're mad, Flynn. Why did you bring the filthy little thing here?" 

"Because you have a shower, and I'm not taking her to Stormwind like this. She can get clean and put on the new clothes I bought for her and you can burn the rags when she's done with them for all I care."

Cyrus glared for a moment before he rolled his eyes and nodded. "All right, come on, then. But if she steals anything, you're paying for it." 

They followed Cyrus up the stairs and through the door into his private rooms. "Through here," he said to Billie, opening the door to the bathroom. "Do you even know how to use a shower?" She gave the room a puzzled look. "That's a no, then." With a sigh, he turned on the water and got it to a comfortably warm temperature. She watched, sharp-eyed. "You do know how to use soap and wash your hair, though, right?"

She nodded, eyeing both of them uneasily. "Aye."

"It's all right," Flynn said as Cyrus brought a towel. Flynn hung it from the rail next to the tub and dropped her seabag on the floor. "Now that you know what you're doing, we'll close the door and we won't bother you until you're done. You saw how he turned on the water?" She nodded again. "Turn it off when you're finished. Put on the new clean clothes, and leave the dirty ones in the tub. I'll deal with them after." He closed the door and let her get to it.

Cyrus sat on his bed and Flynn pulled a chair over and turned it, sitting with his legs around either side of the back. He crossed his arms over the back of it. "What brought this on?" Cyrus asked.

Flynn shrugged. "Too many memories, I think. She tried to pick my pocket on my way back through Dampwick. It hit me pretty hard."

"You're a soft son of a bitch, Flynn." Cyrus shook his head and let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "She'll not have seen a day at sea in her life."

"Nope, probably not. But then, neither had I at that age. And we all had to start somewhere."

"You don't expect Shaw to adopt a kid, I trust."

Flynn snorted. "Not on your life. I'll take her down to the _Arva_ and she'll bunk there until we figure out what to do with her between contracts. At least there'll be a bed and someone always there on watch. It'll do for the moment. She'll be safe." Safe like Flynn wished he'd been safe. "She'll learn the ropes and a trade, and when she's ready she can be off to do as she pleases. Find a life for herself. Until then she'll get a pay packet like any other cabin boy. I know usually it's the nobles' kids who end up with those positions -- somebody's cousin or their kid brother, or the youngest son -- but kids like her deserve a break, too."

Cyrus got up and went to Flynn, resting one big hand on his shoulder. "So did you, lad," he murmured. "I know you came out of Dampwick. I can see why you want to help. You can't save all of them."

Flynn shook his head. "No. But I can save this one."

"There's folk who would dispute it, but you're a good man, Fairwind." Cyrus squeezed Flynn's shoulder and let go.

"I have a lot to make up for." Too much to make up for. He'd never been innocent. Even as he'd tried to curb the worst of Sweete's psychotic behavior he'd still been responsible for more than he cared to remember. There'd been too much he'd been unable to prevent. Walking away didn't erase any of it.

Cyrus shrugged. "Maybe not as much as you think." Flynn didn't respond, his eyes on the floor. Cyrus shook his head and went back down to his office.

Some time later, Billie came out of the bathroom dressed, but with her hair still dripping. Flynn grabbed the towel and dried it until it was just damp, then combed it out and tied it back. He put the little tricorne on her head. "You look a proper little sailor now," he said. "Grab your seabag and go wait down with Cyrus. I'll be right along."

She stuffed the remaining bits into her little seabag, slung it over her shoulder, and trotted downstairs. Flynn straightened himself up and squared his shoulders, then grabbed the filthy, wet rags from the shower and rolled them into a ball. He'd have to wash his hands again once he'd got rid of the damned things. He took them out the upstairs doorway into the Market and dumped them in the nearest bin. That done, he washed his hands and went downstairs to join Billie and Cyrus, who had given her an apple. She chewed on it, loud and slurping.

"Thanks, Cyrus." He patted Billie on the shoulder. "Come on, kid. We're off to Stormwind."

She looked up at him in mid-chew, her eyes going big and round as eggs. "Strmwd?" she garbled, through the apple.

"That's what I said." He jerked his head toward the door. "Hop to, Cabin Boy."

She finished swallowing her bite. "I'm not a boy!"

"Powder Monkey, then. No, Cabin Monkey. Come on, Monkey. On your feet." She stood and followed him out toward the portal room, tossing the apple core aside. She wiped her hand on her greatcoat.

When they entered the portal room, he could hear the hum of the magic and feel it lift the hair on his arms and the back of his neck. "I don't much like going through portals, but some people don't mind at all. It feels a little weird the first time. You'll get used to it if you do it enough. Hold onto my hand, and just step through with me, okay? You won't get lost."

She took his hand. "It's safe?"

"Aye, Monkey, it's safe."

They stepped through, to Stormwind.


	2. An Unusual Offer

The portal, as always, left Flynn feeling slightly out of sorts for a moment. The kid's hand was still in his, and he heard her gasp as she saw the portal room. Adventurers came and went through the space, on their way to cities all over Azeroth.

"Flynn! You're late." Flynn turned his head and saw Mathias advancing on him from across the room, his green eyes stormy with irritation. "And why do you have a child with you?"

Billie ducked behind Flynn. "He's scary," she hissed. He had to admit, the kid had good instincts.

"Aye, that he is," he told her. He turned his attention to Mathias. "Something came up." Flynn let the kid hide behind him. "Turns out I've acquired a cabin boy."

"Not a boy," Billie muttered, still insistent despite her uneasiness.

Flynn sighed and Mathias stared at the child. "A cabin boy."

"Told you we'd been in need of one. Come on, let's take her down to the _Arva_ before we go to dinner. Sorry I'm late. Unavoidable circumstances."

Mathias shook his head and covered his face with one hand for a moment. "I assume you're going to tell me all about it."

They headed out through the shimmering light that separated the portal room from the long, curving ramp out of the Mage Tower and Flynn smiled at the kid's wide-eyed astonishment over her first sight of the lights of Stormwind from that height. "It's a long way down to the docks, Monkey. Let me give you a lift." He took her seabag from her and stuffed it into Mathias's hand. Mathias glared at him but slung it over his shoulder as Flynn reached down and hoisted Billie up to sit on his shoulders. She squeaked and clung to his hair for balance. "Hey, ease up on that. It's attached to my head."

The trio made their way down to the docks as Flynn pointed out some of the sights of Stormwind in the night. As they walked, Mathias's grumpiness eased a bit, though he said little, just observing. "We're going to have to walk all the way back up here when you drop her off," Mathias muttered as they passed through the park at Lion's Rest. Billie sat, silent and stunned, on Flynn's shoulders. He assumed she was too busy gaping in shock to ask questions. There'd be time for those later.

Mathias didn't say anything as they walked, and Flynn could practically see the irritation rising from the man's shoulders like steam. There wasn't anything he could, or would, say about it while he had the kid with him, but he was sure dinner was going to be a bit more tense than either of them had intended due to his unscheduled detour.

He hailed the _Arva_ as they approached.

"Captain," Thurin greeted. "Who's this?"

"You… you weren't lying," Billie whispered. Flynn lifted her off his shoulders and set her down on the deck. 

"Thurin Firebeard, meet Miss Billie Nets, our new cabin monkey. Monkey, this is Mister Firebeard, the ship's carpenter and healer."

Thurin looked at Flynn for a moment then offered a hand to the kid. "Pleased to meet ya," he said. She gazed at the dwarf, undecided, then shook his hand. Flynn took her seabag from Mathias and handed it to Thurin.

"String up a hammock for her down in the crew's quarters, would you? We'll talk tomorrow." 

Thurin nodded and put a hand on Billie's shoulder. "Come on, lass. We'll set you up for the night and get ye a snack before bed if you want." He turned and walked her toward the ladder down into the hold.

"That's done," Flynn said to Mathias with a relieved sigh. "Now you can be as irritated as you like, and we can head back up to the city for dinner."

Mathias glowered. "We are now over an hour late for our table at the Blue Recluse. Would you mind telling me why?"

Flynn shrugged. "I was on my way home from hiring the new captain for the _Middenwake_ \-- Henry seems like a solid choice, by the way -- and the kid tried to pick my pocket."

Mathias gave him a confused look. "Flynn…"

Flynn watched the cobblestones in front of him as they walked. "It was like staring into a bloody mirror, love. She's about the age I was when I ran from Dampwick. Something in me just… snapped."

Mathias sighed and put a hand on Flynn's shoulder. He squeezed, then slid his arm down and let his hand rest at Flynn's waist. He shook his head. "So you had to rescue her."

"Aye," Flynn murmured. "I did."

"You can't save them all," Mathias said, his voice gentle, irritation vanished now. 

"Funny. That's what Cyrus said, too."

"They're going to be annoyed with us at the Blue Recluse, you know."

Flynn gave him half a smile. "You're one of the king's advisors. They'll hold the table for you until closing if they have to, and you know it."

"I know. Still."

"There was a bit of a scuffle getting her out of Dampwick. The gang's watcher wasn't too thrilled. My boot in his face was persuasive, though." He shook his head. "I know what they'd have done to her if she didn't come back with some coin. I just… I couldn't let that happen." His chest ached with his memories. 

Mathias's arm tightened around him as they walked. "You're okay?" Flynn slid his arm around Mathias. It felt good. Reassuring. The warmth of his body was a comfort.

"He didn't lay a finger on me. I think I stove in his head as much for myself as a kid as I did for her. For all the times I couldn't stop them hurting me or anyone else." He looked at Mathias. "I was lucky to get out. Freehold was like leaping from the frying pan into the fire -- piracy carries the death penalty in Kul Tiras -- but I thought it was better than what I had. There's been a price on my head for a very long time."

They made their way into the green park of the Mage Quarter, Mathias's arm around Flynn's waist and Flynn's around his. "You're here now," Mathias said, his voice quiet and gentle, "and that was a long time ago."

Flynn smiled. "Aye, it was. And you're here now, too, lucky me." He tightened his arm around Mathias's waist.

Mathias chuckled as they entered the Blue Recluse. The place was packed but quiet; the Blue Recluse was the fanciest place in Stormwind, filled to the gills with the rich and famous. Not usually Flynn's choice, but the food and drink were legendary, and today was in fact a significant day. Mathias had thought dinner would be a fitting celebration and Flynn hadn't been about to argue with him.

"Ah, Master Shaw, you made it," the innkeeper said. "We've been holding your table upstairs, if you'll follow me." They were led to a small table in a private corner of the loft above the main room. They sat and the man lit candles for them. "I'll notify the chef that you're here. We'll have tonight's special ready for you shortly. I'll bring your wine right away. Enjoy your evening, gentlemen."

Mathias's ankles twined with Flynn's under the table. "Do you need to go back to Boralus tomorrow?"

Flynn nodded. "Aye, for an hour or two. Need to take Captain Storm to the _Middenwake_ and give her my notes on the people I've been looking at for the crew. She'll have to work with them and I have to be able to trust them with my ship, so we'll be making the hiring decisions jointly. She'll have about a week to look things over and talk to them before we do that, assuming the _Arva_ isn't already at sea by then."

The innkeeper returned and poured wine for them, leaving the bottle. Mathias raised his glass to Flynn, and they tapped them together so the crystal rang. "To your new captain."

Flynn grinned, his heart lighter now. "To Captain Storm."

***

There was a tap on the door of Flynn's cabin early the next afternoon. "Captain Fairwind?"

"What is it, Monkey?" He looked up from the narrowed list of potential _Middenwake_ crew that he'd discussed with Storm that morning. The girl opened the cabin door.

"There's a bear man here to see you. Boatswain Turnsprocket told me to get you." She was nervous still, but starting to settle in at least a bit. The crew had been kind to her when he'd explained the situation, accepting her despite where Flynn had got her. It would get easier for her over time.

"Well, let's go see him, shall we?" Flynn rose and followed Billie up onto the deck, where a pandaren in traditional clothing waited for him. The broad, shallow cone of his hat kept his eyes in shadow. "I'm Captain Fairwind. What can I do for you?"

The pandaren bowed, palms together. "I am Steelsage Gao. My employer, Madam Goya, wishes to discuss a contract with you. She requests that you meet her late this afternoon in Booty Bay." Flynn's eyebrows rose. Goya ran the black market auction house. Not everything she dealt in was illegal, by any means, but it was generally expensive and very, very hard to come by. Art, weapons, exotic mounts -- you name it, she had a line on it. Goya was generally only dangerous if you crossed her and Flynn didn't plan to get on her bad side. It was well known that she was much better to have as an ally than an enemy. He'd heard disturbing tales of what happened to people who'd tried to cheat her.

Getting to Booty Bay by late afternoon meant taking a gryphon. Flynn nodded. "Where shall I meet her, and what time?"

"I will meet you at the gryphon roost there at four o'clock and escort you to her chambers." That left him an hour or so to wrap up business here before he'd have to leave.

"All right then. I'll see you in Booty Bay." Gao bowed again and left without further comment.

"Are you actually going to trust Goya?" his First Mate asked. The ruff of fur on her neck bristled slightly.

Flynn shrugged. "Depends on what she wants, Sonya. If it seems likely to get us clapped in irons, I'm not about to take the contract. But if it's above board, we could all stand to make a lot of money."

"You want an escort, Captain?" Siward Brentley, one of his gunners, stepped closer.

"Might be useful, Siward. I'm sure the negotiations themselves'll be behind closed doors, but Tides only know who's in port there. Wouldn't want to run afoul of anyone I parted on poor terms with." Flynn had enough enemies from his freebooting days that taking someone along to watch his back wasn't, strictly speaking, a bad idea. Kul Tiran muscle was respected where it wasn't outright feared.

"Right then," Siward said. "I'll go get a couple of pistols out of the armory."

Flynn nodded. "You do that. I'll finish up what I'm doing and then we can be off to the gryphon roost." He went back to his cabin and wrote a brief note to Mathias. He didn't have time to talk to the man himself before he left, but did want to let him know where he was going, considering the nature of his trip. He folded the sheet of paper when the ink was dry, slipped it into an envelope, and sealed it with wax. He pressed the seal with the little scallop shell he kept for the purpose. It wasn't fancy, but Mathias would recognize it. He scribbled Mathias's name and SI:7 on the outside and went out to the main deck.

"Monkey!" The girl ran to him from where Sonya had been teaching her the names of the lines and what they were used for. He handed the kid the envelope. "I want you to take this over to the boys you see over there--" he pointed to a cluster of messenger boys near a stack of crates a fair distance away on the docks, "-- and give one of them this," he pulled a coin from his pocket, "and this coin. Tell him to take the letter to Master Shaw at SI:7 in Old Town quick as you please, no need to wait for a response, then nip back here again when you're done."

"Aye aye, sir." She took off at a run, bouncing down the gangplank.

*** 

While some would describe Booty Bay as a wretched hive of scum and villainy, Flynn found it a rather diverting place. The pirate town was run by the goblin Baron Revilgaz of the Steamwheedle Cartel, and his tauren second in command, Fleet Master Seahorn, though Flynn had always been a bit amused by the idea of tauren sailors. When he and Siward dismounted from their gryphons, they were met as promised by Steelsage Gao. The big pandaren bowed to them and gave Siward the up and down, but said nothing about it.

"Please, Captain Fairwind, follow me."

He and Siward trailed Gao through the maze of walkways and rickety multi-level buildings down to the lowest level, then around to a nondescript entrance near the back of the town, over the water at the cliffside. Gao knocked on an unmarked door.

"Enter."

"Wait here for me, Mister Brentley."

Siward nodded. "Aye aye, Captain." He and Gao both took up positions outside the door, arms crossed, guarding.

Flynn opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him. The room was small but opulent. The smoke of incense hung in the air, scenting it with resin and flowers. The walls were hung with silken tapestries, and Madam Goya sat in a richly upholstered chair, a table in front of her. There was a second, comfortable but less opulent chair before it. Laid out on the table was a pandaren tea set. The pot was delicate ceramic, intricately painted with images of dragons and cranes in flight. There were tiny cups of jade, edged with gold along the lips. Not practical at all, but a display of wealth and power. Lanterns of red paper hung from the ceiling. "Madam Goya, I've come at your request."

"Captain Fairwind. Your reputation precedes you." He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. She gestured at the other chair. "Please, be seated."

"Thank you." Flynn took a seat. Patience was gold when dealing with pandarens, so he folded his hands in his lap and waited.

Madam Goya nodded, then leaned forward and poured tea into the little jade cups, her every motion elegant and efficient. She set the pot down and picked up her cup. Flynn copied her motion, knowing she was watching him with eyes like a gryphon.

Flynn waited until she'd sipped at her tea before he took his. It was barely more than flavored hot water, as far as he was concerned, but he was sure even that one tiny cupful was worth a handful of gold. She nodded and set her cup down. Flynn did as well. She smiled slightly and Flynn figured he had passed some kind of test.

"Your manners are better than I had been led to believe," she said, dry as a desert.

Flynn shrugged. "I have a few that I can use when necessary. Most of the time they're not necessary. What can I do for you?"

"To the point, then." She leaned back lazily in her chair. "Two weeks ago, a goblin ship called the _Squeaky Wheel_ was transporting some cargo for me when she was lost off the coast of Pandaria. The only witness to this event was a pandaren fisherman. He reports that the ship was sunk by a hozen pirate crew, who apparently did not consider a goblin ship to be worth anything more than target practice. I cannot say as I blame them -- goblin ships are filthy, smelly things. This fisherman knows the location of the wreck.

"I require a ship to salvage a crate from the _Squeaky Wheel_ for me. None of the other cargo particularly concerns me, but that crate contains a very rare, and very expensive shipment of tea for my personal collection."

Flynn considered for a moment. "Salvage operations require diving gear. The _Bold Arva_ doesn't have an air pump, air lines, or helmets. My boatswain's an engineer but I don't think she's been trained on that sort of equipment." Dive operations were dangerous, too, but if they didn't have the gear, they didn't have the gear.

Goya's head tilted. "I can arrange the purchase and installation of this gear, and to have your engineer trained in its use. It would be worth the expense for me. You would be able to keep the gear, and any salvage you find beyond my tea shipment, on top of your contract fee, should you accept."

Flynn raised an eyebrow. "That's a lot, for tea."

She sighed and shook her head. "I would not expect an outsider to understand the true worth of an exceptional tea collection."

"I'm afraid I'm a barbarian when it comes to such things. I hope you'll forgive me." He smiled, apologetic. The idea that she was willing to drop that much gold for one box of tea -- well, he'd heard that some of the really wealthy pandarans were willing to pay thousands for their favorite varieties from particular estates. It could very easily be a completely legitimate request.

She nodded. "I suppose you could be forgiven. Shall we negotiate?"

Flynn calculated the risks, the potential of a hozen attack, and what it would be worth to have a dive engineer and diving gear available in terms of accepting future contracts. It seemed pretty lucrative to him. He grinned at her. "I think we shall."


	3. Dangerous Words

"You're taking a contract from Goya?" Mathias asked, suspicious.

Flynn sat on the little sofa in their main room, his feet up on one arm of it, reading a book he'd got from the Royal Library on the history of Pandaria. Flynn looked up at him. "She says it's a chest of insanely expensive tea. Yun says that she's got a reputation as a tea connoisseur and that odds are, it's exactly what it looks like on the surface of it."

The only thing Mathias really knew about tea was that pandarans seemed to be crazy for the stuff. The king might know more, but he wasn't about to disturb Anduin to ask. "Underwater salvage operations are dangerous, Flynn. Aside from anything else, there are a lot of things that could go wrong."

Flynn sighed and put the book aside. He got up and went to Mathias, putting his arms around him from behind. He nuzzled into Mathias's hair. "So's going to sea at all, love. Look, I know you're worried, but that's natural. It's life when you live with a sailor. Goya's paying for the best equipment and Sparks is getting training on it right now. We'll be ready when we set sail in a couple of days. My crew are all experienced hands and I trust them. You've seen them in action; you know what they can do."

Mathias nodded, still concerned. "You're right. I suppose it's just that this is the first time since all this started between us that you'll be going without me." He tugged Flynn's arms tighter around himself and held on.

"Oh, love." Flynn squeezed him, then slid around the chair to crouch in front of him, his hands on either side of Mathias's face, cupping his jaw gently. "That'll be most of the time, and both of us know it. You have work here that you'll not be able to get away from. I have a ship and the sea for mine. If you come with me, it's going to be a rare thing, and I'll treasure it, but I'm always going to be bidding you goodbye and hoping the Tidemother'll bring us all home again at the end of the voyage."

Mathias knew there would be times when he'd have to deal with sensitive, dangerous missions of his own. There was no guarantee he'd come home at the end of them, either, and that Flynn would worry for him as he worried for his lover.

***

Mathias stood on the dock the morning of the _Arva_ 's departure with Flynn in his arms as most of the crew dashed around doing their last minute work. Thurin Firebeard's wife and three kids were at the dock too, hanging onto the dwarf and saying their own goodbyes. 

It was strange to be so public, so open about his affections, but he didn't want Flynn to just walk out the door. Something in him needed to watch the man sail away, and to be on the dock to kiss him goodbye that one, last time. It was a sweet, slow kiss, loving rather than erotic, and Mathias savored it with closed eyes, Flynn's arms around him. They both sighed at the end of it, noses brushing and looking into each other's eyes. 

"I love you. Come home safe, soon," Mathias murmured.

"I love you, too. I'll be back as soon as I'm able. Take care of yourself for me."

"I will," he promised.

Flynn turned and called for all hands on deck. Thurin pulled away from his family, scrubbing one hand through his childrens' hair, and waved as he boarded the ship with Flynn.

"Bring up the gangplank!" Flynn shouted, "Cast off all lines!"

The dockers cast off the ropes that held the _Bold Arva_ to her berth. The crew pulled them onto the ship. "Aweigh the anchor!" Flynn shouted.

The gunnies and Johnny started cranking the capstan, raising the anchor from the bottom of Stormwind Bay. "Anchor aweigh!"

Sparks, the Boatswain, started on a capstan shanty while they reeled in the anchor chain to the windlass. _As I walked out one morning rare_

_Heave away, haul away,_ the crew sang in response.

_Twas there I saw my lover fair_

The crew raised their voices. _Sailing for Pandaria!_

_Haul away you rolling kings_  
_Heave away, haul away_  
_Haul away you'll hear me sing_  
_We're sailing for Pandaria!_

Flynn's voice joined in on the chorus, his fine, deep baritone soaring in the salt air, and Mathias wanted to weep for missing him already.

"Take us out, Miss Tidewalker!" he shouted, and the Tidesage raised her arms and gently pulled the _Arva_ from her berth and out toward the open water, where the ship would set her sails. The crew reeled lines and set the rigging, singing as they worked and Mathias watched until their voices faded in the distance and the ship grew smaller, her sails filling with wind, heading for the horizon.

Mathias took a deep breath and let it out slowly, resigned to not seeing his lover for at least the next three weeks. He turned from the docks and started back up to the city.

***

Mathias entered the main SI:7 building, quiet and lost in thought. 

"Hey boss," Renzik said. "Fairwind sail this morning?"

"Yeah." Mathias nodded, still a little melancholy.

"Thought so." Renzik sounded almost sympathetic as he handed him a stack of files. "The morning reports. New hot spot in Feralas, potential Dark Rangers sighting."

"Thanks." Mathias got himself a cup of coffee and settled in at his desk to read over the intelligence reports. He started with the Feralas file.

There were no concrete traces of Dark Ranger presence that his agents could produce, but several of them said they had caught glimpses. Glimpses weren't anything to go on, but the agents said they seemed to be heading in the direction of Duskwallow Marsh. It would be worth bringing up when Baine Bloodhoof, the tauren High Chieftain, came to consult with the king. He made a note to assign two more agents to the area as soon as possible and moved on to the next file.

The rest of his day was similarly frustrating and fruitless. Whispers and shadows. His entire life had been nothing but whispers and shadows until recently. He wanted to be shocked by how quickly he'd become accustomed to Flynn's presence, but he wasn't. His flat was going to be empty when he got there, and stay that way until Flynn got home. The thought was entirely unappealing.

He ate alone that night and slept poorly.

***

It took a couple of days to get used to being alone again, but there was still a quiet thread of loneliness underlying everything. Mathias kept expecting to see Flynn sitting at the table, or lying in bed when he woke. He wondered if Thurin Firebeard's wife and kids went through the same adjustment, and found himself vaguely envious of Grixx and Relly, who sailed together and never had to worry about one leaving the other behind. That, however, wasn't his life. Stormwind was. He was used to the tall, white city walls, the narrow alleys, and the colorful rooftops of the different districts.

He had a lifetime of responsibility and duty here and, for the most part, if he didn't actively enjoy his work, he at least felt it worthwhile and necessary.

Mathias found himself being recognized in public more often when he was walking in the city. It was disconcerting. He'd spent so many years being nothing but a shadow that he was uncomfortable with eyes following him. There was little he could do about it unless he wanted to keep a gryphon tied outside the SI:7 headquarters and fly wherever he went, or constantly walk under a cloak of stealth. Both of those would come with their own inconveniences, though.

The real inconvenience hit him in the face like a particularly unpleasant wet towel when he was accosted at the Pig and Whistle while he was trying to have dinner. She was tall and platinum blonde and he knew the color wasn't natural because it was so stark. She was dressed in what would have been an elegant gown if it hadn't had so much sparkle to it. She bore a striking resemblance to a Winter Veil tree, and it did not bring joy to his heart.

"Master Shaw, I'm Vera VanDooble of _Stormwind This Week_ and I have some questions that the citizens of our fair city are just _dying_ to have answered!" She dropped herself into the chair opposite him as his fork dangled halfway between his plate and his mouth. He blinked.

"I'm eating."

"Yes, yes, I can see that. Which means you're not in the office and you're available for an interview." She leaned toward him over the table.

"Excuse me?" He set his fork down, his brow wrinkled in confusion.

She fluffed her hair with one hand and fluttered her eyelashes at him. "You and Captain Fairwind are the absolute talk of the town, Master Shaw. Or can I call you Mathias? It's a lovely name, Mathias."

"What? No!"

"He's really dreamy. Absolutely gorgeous. But, really, Mathias, isn't some Kul Tiran who isn't even with the Admiralty a bit beneath you? I mean, he's pretty enough, anyone would enjoy a tumble with him. Is it true what they say about Kul Tiran men, by the way?" She raised her eyebrows at him with a leer.

Mathias picked up his fork again. He knew seventy three ways to kill a man with a fork, but he suspected that doing any of them to a civilian under these circumstances would bring more trouble than it was worth. Beneath him? Flynn? "What are you babbling about?" 

"You're an advisor to the king, of course, so most people wouldn't be near your social status, but I've heard--" her voice lowered to a whisper, "--that those Kul Tiran boys are real animals when it comes to the sensual arts. _Generously_ endowed. And really, he's a sailor. Aren't they all a bit slutty when it gets right down to it?" She tilted her head and patted Mathias's hand. Stabbing her with a fork was beginning to look far too good for her. "And _Stormwind This Week_ was reliably informed that he used to be a _pirate_! Obviously he must be giving you what you need, Mathias, but what's he getting from you?"

Mathias dropped his fork and reached across the table in a fury. He grabbed her by the throat and she gurgled to a stop. "If you _ever_ ," he snarled, quiet under the sounds in the room around them, "speak of him that way again -- if you _ever_ speak another word of insult or disrespect toward him, I will personally see to it that your body is never found. Your entire family will disappear in a place where their only company will be a syphilitic goblin and a pack of starving hyenas. Do I make myself clear?"

She squeaked and nodded. He let her go. "Leave. Now. While you still can," he spat.

She turned and fled with a terrified, "Well, I _never!_ "

Mathias buried his face in both hands and groaned.

While his mood had been entirely destroyed, he was still hungry, so he finished his food and then headed back to SI:7. 

Renzik was still there, getting a report from one of their junior agents. "Renzik!" he barked. The goblin's head snapped up. His eyes widened when he looked at Mathias.

"Hooboy."

"With me. Right now." Mathias stomped up the stairs to his office with Renzik trailing him, not saying a word.

Once the door was shut, Renzik tilted his head, eyes fixed on Mathias's. "Who just crawled up your ass, Shaw, and what do you want me to do about them?"

"There is a woman, human, who goes by Vera VanDooble and claims to work for _Stormwind This Week_ \--"

"That rag?" Renzik said, his eyes widening.

"--who just accosted me at dinner and proceeded to thoroughly insult me and Captain Fairwind in the most obnoxious manner imaginable. I want every scrap of dirt on her that can possibly be found, and I want her persuaded that it will be in her best interest -- and that of _Stormwind This Week_ \-- that Flynn and I are to be left _strictly alone_. I do not want to hear so much as a squeak out of either of them, ever again. Is that clear?"

"Their gig is bottom of the barrel celebrity gossip. Sadly, I'm not surprised you and Fairwind caught their attention. Sordid and scandal are their watchwords. I'll see to it."

Mathias crossed his arms over his chest. "Not surprised?"

Renzik shrugged. "You two are cute, I gotta admit, but you're very, very public. You're pretty safe here in the city, but somebody's gonna notice and someday that's likely to bite one or both of you in the ass. I'm not sayin' you gotta hide or anything, but you need to be prepared. You got enemies. Fairwind's enemies are likely to be scared of you, but yours? I don't wanna think about what they'd do to him."

Mathias sighed, eyes down cast. "I know. Don't think I haven't thought about it, or that we haven't talked about it." He looked back up at Renzik. "There's not a lot I can do to protect him the way we'd protect any sensitive target in the king's circle if they were at risk. My only option is a disproportionate response if anyone ever makes a move on him. Keep as close an eye on him as is realistic for a man who's at sea regularly and discourage any attempts before they happen."

"Makes sense. Can't put a shock collar on him and keep him at home, after all."

Mathias shook his head. "Renzik."

"Well, okay, I mean I suppose you could, but would it be any fun, is the question."

Mathias closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose to ward off an incipient headache. "Must we?"

"Kidding aside, Shaw, I upped the watch level on your personal enemies when Fairwind started looking like a permanent fixture. I got your back."

That was more reassuring than Mathias had expected. He sighed and looked up at Renzik again. "Thank you."

"And this VanDooble chickie is gonna receive a personal visit from some of our scruffier looking sorts sometime soon. You won't be bothered again."

Satisfied that the issue would be dealt with, Mathias took himself home to his empty flat, and his emptier bed.

***

_Mathias looked up, battered and exhausted, from where he was chained in the fel-iron cage, his own reflection striding into the room. His face distorted into a grin edged with madness. Not again. Please, not again._

_"You'll be pleased to know that the Red Blade has fulfilled your contract. Kearnen is dead, and with her, your only hope of anyone even noticing that you've been replaced." Mathias's gut wrenched. He watched as the reflection of his face rippled and melted, shifting and rising as Detheroc assumed his demonic form, laughing._

_None of the others had escaped. The warning they'd died to bring back to Stormwind had never arrived. "You are alone. You will never escape this torment. Every hope is lost." Mathias struggled with the chains on his wrists that left him strung between the bars of his cage, the acrid stench of fel burning his eyes and his lungs. "Your despair is delicious."_

Mathias's eyes shot open as he gasped, flinging one arm out to reach for Flynn, but no one was there. Sweat-soaked, he bolted to sit upright and buried his face in his hands as he struggled to bring his breathing back under control. He was alone. Flynn was at sea. Mathias shuddered. He curled into himself and wrapped his arms around his body, wishing they were his lover's.

Tears burned his eyes as his breathing hitched. If Flynn were here, he'd be held safe in the man's strong, solid arms. Flynn's face would be buried in his hair.

_You're all right, love. It was just a dream. You're not there anymore. It's not then. You survived and you're safe with me._

Light, Mathias missed him.

_Friendship is weakness_ his grandmother's voice murmured. _Practice solitude like you practice your dagger technique._ He could feel the shadow of Pathonia standing over him, disapproving. She'd honed him into the perfect weapon but left him defenseless against the terrors that rose from his own mind.

"You're wrong," he whispered. "It's not." Flynn's bright, warm laughter rang in Mathias's heart and he held on with all his strength until the night terror passed and he was in control again.

A glance out the window told him it was nearly dawn. He rose and made some coffee while he waited for water to heat so he could bathe the drying sweat away. Shaking his head, he decided that it was time to look for a new place. He wanted a real shower and running hot water. He wanted a bigger bed. He was sick of hauling water like this for a bath; he'd chosen the place ages ago for its proximity to SI:7 and nothing more, but he'd added new priorities to his life and he just didn't have the energy for this inconvenience anymore. Old Town was too far from the docks, and Flynn complained regularly about the climb up the coastal cliff without ever asking Mathias to do anything about it.

He'd get one of the trainees to bring him a list of suitable places in the Trade District or along the canals closer to the bay. Flynn would only be gone for about two more weeks, if all went well. They could talk when he got home.

Over coffee and toasted spice bread, Mathias reviewed his schedule for the day. Morning reports and assignments. Sparring practice with some of the senior rogue instructors. Assessment of completed missions. After lunch, his daily meeting with Anduin that would include security needs for his upcoming meeting with Baine Bloodhoof to exchange data on their mutual search for Sylvanas. That would take most of the afternoon. If there was time, some editing on a training manual he'd been writing before he could leave and return to a far too empty flat.

After the morning sparring session, Mathias showered in the open shower ranks of the SI:7 barracks. He'd been satisfied with his own performance, and got in enough shots with some of the instructors that he thought it was time for some technique reviews. Even the most highly trained assassin couldn't afford to let their technique slip.

"People are talking about you, you know." Lord Tony Romano. Mathias turned, wiping soap suds from his eyes.

"What do you want?"

Romano stood in the doorway, leaning with his arms and ankles crossed, watching him. "We all see how you're carrying on with that new consort of yours in front of the entire city. If you must be so public about it, you really should have chosen better."

Mathias snorted and turned his back on the man, rinsing off before he grabbed a towel. "My private life is none of your business. Who I choose to bed is irrelevant." He dried himself and wrapped the towel around his waist, stalking past Romano on his way to the lockers.

Romano followed him. "If it were just a fuck, nobody would care, Shaw. It's the idea that you're besotted with this common rabble that grates. There was a S.E.L.F.I.E. going around a few weeks ago of the two of you in the street together and you looked like a swooning maiden."

Mathias glared at Romano. He'd seen the picture, framed and hanging on the bulkhead of Flynn's cabin on the _Arva_ ; he was aware that it had come from one of the gossip rags, and of the fact that Flynn adored that picture, and suddenly the columnist who'd invaded his dinner last week made more sense. "No one else keeps their partner locked in the house day and night, away from the world. Why should I?"

"No one else is _you_ , Shaw. Who you're mooning after reflects on all of us. It reflects on King Anduin. And a common guttersnipe like Fairwind is not a good look on any of us."

Mathias bit down on his anger as he dressed and refastened his armor. "I'm certain that if the king had any objections to my relationship, he'd bring them up to me personally," he spat.

"The man's a slut. He's got a trail of ex-lovers longer than the coast of Kalimdor, of every gender and nearly every species."

Fully armored and armed again, Mathias rose to his full height. He might not be as tall as Romano, but he knew how to intimidate beings twice his size. "He's an adult, we weren't together then, and you are treading on extremely thin ice, Romano."

"It's Lord Romano, Master Shaw." Romano straightened from where he had slouched against a locker. "You'd do well to remember who's the nobility in this room."

"And you'd do well to remember who is the head of this organization," Mathias bit out. "Your nobility is meaningless here. You work for me."

Romano glared at him for a moment before backing down. "This isn't over, Shaw." Romano pointed an accusing finger at him. "You need to be accountable to the image of SI:7 and of the Alliance. Your dalliance could turn into a diplomatic disaster if you're not careful."

"If it were a mere dalliance, I might be more inclined to listen to you."

Romano sighed and shook his head. "And that, Shaw, is what makes it so much worse." He turned sharply and left.

***

The afternoon's daily briefing with Anduin felt interminable and Mathias knew he was being irritable and impatient. He did his best to focus on not reacting to every imagined annoyance and kept silent any time he felt close to saying something indiscreet. He spent a fair portion of the meeting with his jaw clenched, not saying a word. Nothing Anduin or his aides were doing was particularly to blame. It was a normal meeting, with exactly the issues one would expect in setting up security for a Horde leader to be in residence. Mathias had no excuse.

It was a blessed relief when Anduin called an end to the meeting. Mathias wanted nothing more than to go stab some target dummies for an hour or so, until his arms ached and his chest heaved with the effort of breathing. He rose to leave and Anduin raised a hand.

"Master Shaw, would you stay, please?"

Mathias closed his eyes for a moment and nodded. He hoped whatever Anduin wanted wasn't going to take too much time; he had a deep and abiding need to stab something. "Of course, Your Majesty." He waited while the others left.

Anduin gestured to the two most comfortable chairs in the room, situated close together near the unlit hearth. "Please, join me." Mathias followed him and sat with the King.

"What can I do for you, sire?"

Anduin looked at him for a moment, contemplative. "What happened, Shaw?'"

"In what sense?" Mathias hedged. The last thing he wanted was a lecture on how he was slipping.

"I don't like to pry, but you spent most of the meeting grinding your teeth so hard I could hear it. You were much quieter than usual and I could practically feel you seething as you stood there behind me. Nothing out of the ordinary was discussed, and no one was more annoying than they tend to be. Something must have happened between yesterday's briefing and today's. Do you need to talk? If there's anything I can do…"

Mathias shifted uneasily in his seat. "It's nothing that need concern you." He couldn't very well say it was nothing because Anduin wouldn't accept that for a moment. "Just… personal issues."

Anduin raised an eyebrow. "Will there be any bodies that should concern me?"

Mathias was so startled by the question that he couldn't help his snort of laughter. "No, Your Majesty. I would never leave traceable bodies."

Anduin chuckled and then sobered. "You considered it, though, didn't you?" After a moment, Mathias nodded. "Please. Tell me. What happened that has you in this mood?"

"I-- Your Majesty--" Light, this was awkward.

Anduin regarded him closely as he wavered. "Shaw." He paused, reconsidering. "Mathias. Whatever happened seems to have upset you deeply. I've known you all my life, and regardless of our relative positions, I do regard you as a friend. For this conversation, please, just call me Anduin. I don't want our rank to come between us here."

He should have known this was coming. This -- rank and station -- was at the very heart of what was causing his anger, his frustration, his grief at the way Flynn was being spoken of. Mathias took a deep breath. "Anduin," he murmured.

Anduin nodded, and made an encouraging gesture, as though Mathias were some timid creature that needed to be coaxed from a hiding place. Perhaps, in a way, he was.

"My anger is not for myself," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back into the chair. "Not the greater part of it, at least." He couldn't meet Anduin's eyes.

"I'm listening, Mathias."

Mathias chose his words carefully. "Since Flynn sailed for Pandaren waters, I have been approached by several individuals." Mathias closed his eyes, needing to focus. "The things that they have said to me _to my face_ about him have been offensive in the extreme." He looked up at Anduin. "I have had to endure hearing the man I love called a slut, and a guttersnipe." Anduin paled, silent. 

"It has been repeatedly stated by an increasing number of people that he is unworthy to be in my presence because I am one of your advisors and he hasn't sufficient rank to merit the slightest notice. Others have accused him of attempting to gain rank and influence through me, while I have been told that the only reason I could possibly want him is because Kul Tiran men, on the whole, are apparently hung like horses." Mathias could see the anger building in Anduin's face. "What I have overheard that was not intended for my ears is orders of magnitude worse."

Anduin took a deep, shuddering breath and willed himself to calm.

"Your restraint is commendable, Mathias. I'm not sure I wouldn't have left a trail of bodies behind me under those circumstances."

"I have been called a disgrace to you, and to the Alliance, for finally finding someone who makes me happy." It ached inside him, fury and indignation warring for precedence.

"That… is utterly appalling," Anduin said.

Mathias nodded. "We are the subject of gossip, scorn, and derision in this city and, while I have yet to start amassing a pile of corpses, the temptation is all too real."

Anduin looked him in the eyes. "Mathias Shaw, you are no disgrace, nor is Captain Fairwind. You have my every approval and support, and I give you my explicit and joyous blessing upon your relationship." He sighed and shook his head. "I am, perhaps, more able to understand the difficulties you're facing right now that you might realize. At some point, I will be expected to choose a queen. She -- and it will have to be 'she' -- will no doubt have to be chosen from a limited list of approved names. I will be expected to produce an heir to the House of Wrynn, as is my duty to my people and to the Alliance. Should I step outside of those boundaries, I have no doubt that I and the person I choose will both face similar scurrilous gossip and outright resistance from the nobility and, quite likely from the other leaders of the Alliance. It's a thing that has cost me sleep in the past and shall no doubt continue to do so in future."

"Anduin--" It was true. The young man would never be truly free to choose a partner entirely for the sake of love. A king's duties were even more onerous than those of a spymaster.

"I will stand by your side in this, and by Flynn's -- publicly and explicitly -- and I hope that, when the time comes, you will ultimately stand with me in whatever choice I make."

"That is… a kinder and more generous reaction than I have ever had any right to wish for."

Anduin offered a sad smile. "I never imagined that you would find anyone. Believe it or not, that thought has caused me pain on more than one occasion. That you have fallen in love with a man who is so passionate about everything, a man who absolutely adores you, and in whose presence you light like a beacon, gives me hope for my own future. I hope that someday I will be even a fraction as fortunate as you have been in finding each other."

"I… I hope that you will, as well, Anduin. Thank you." Mathias's chest felt full with a swirling mass of emotions that were, as yet, impossible to sort.

Anduin stood and offered a hand to Mathias, who took it and found himself enveloped in an embrace. It took a moment to get over the shock of it. "Mathias, my friend, you deserve to have love and joy in your life. Thank you for trusting me with this."

Mathias held on, dizzied by it. "Thank you for listening, Anduin. And for your encouragement."

They parted then, hands on one another's shoulders. Mathias knew he would never be able to address his king by name outside of these chambers and in private, but he also knew that something profound had changed between them. It would take time to understand.

"And now," Anduin said, "I'm sure we both have things that require our attention, so I'll bid you a good evening and hope that your sleep will be peaceful tonight."

"Thank you. And you."

They nodded to each other, and Mathias walked away, trusting that the insults he'd had to endure would be diminished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the shanty the crew sings is based on
> 
> Bound for south australia (Port Isaac Fisherman's Friends)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3afGi3REu8
> 
> as to expensive tea, the most expensive tea on earth is worth over one million dollars a kilogram...


	4. The Wreck of the Squeaky Wheel

The _Bold Arva_ met with heavy weather as they sailed south. The first two days were filled with squalls and high seas, but the crew met it all and kept her steady going. Flynn kept an eye on their newest crew member, who hadn't got her sea legs yet. There were a few unfortunate incidents of seasickness, but the kid got by.

Once she'd realized that no one aboard was going to hurt her, and that she got fed the same as everyone else, Billie bloomed like star moss. He watched from the wheel as Relly showed her how to play the fiddle, trying to ignore the awful wailing the kid's fingers produced. He didn't mind it, really. It reminded him of the first time he'd felt safe again after his mother's death.

Pirates were rightly feared on every coast; the worst of them were a murdering, scurvy lot -- sadistic bastards like Sweete. Most of them raided ships for treasure and ransomed any crew and passengers that didn't fight them. Half the time a few warning shots across the bow would have a trader strike their colors and surrender. There was a lot more gold to be made from the living than the dead. Most people had someone who wanted them back and would be willing to pay for the privilege. Flynn had tried to keep his cold-blooded murders to a minimum, but he'd had to kill his share of men over the years.

Still, the pirate crew he'd joined after he'd run from Dampwick had taken him in and treated him kindly. Too many of them had come from the same kind of life, and they'd known the look in Flynn's eyes when he'd asked to come aboard. He'd learned, and fast, and life at sea suited him down to the bone. There was a freedom in it, being only beholden to your captain and your shipmates. The first man he'd lain with by his own choice was a shipmate -- a tall, handsome night elf with hair like moonlight. Flynn sighed and smiled to himself. He'd fancied himself in love with the bloke, for about ten minutes.

Flynn had learned in those years that drink and a warm body beside him at night drove away the worst of his memories, and he'd resolved to make use of them whenever possible. Sometimes those things had landed him in trouble, but he'd had enough good fortune to survive. Too often for his taste, it had been a near thing. He still liked a good drink, but he'd learned the hard way that too much of it could get a man killed and he'd backed off a bit, preferring to let people think he was well awash so they'd underestimate him. There were moments when it just wouldn't do for someone to take him too seriously.

As to warm bodies, well. He missed Mathias with an ache he'd never felt for anyone else. Flynn wondered how the man was doing. Since Mathias had started talking with him, a snip at a time, about the horrors he'd endured in Suramar he'd been sleeping a little better, but he still had nightmares and there were times he'd wake in the night with a shock and a yelp. Flynn did his best to offer some comfort but sometimes he thought that just being there at all did more than any words could ever do. Mathias had done the same for him, more than once, and never asked about Flynn's darker memories.

The downhill run to Pandaria was relatively easy this time of year, with following tradewinds and a favorable current. It made light work for the Tidesage, and a relaxed time for the crew, or at least as relaxed as you ever got at sea. With clear skies, the weather was warm enough to be comfortable but not so hot as to suffocate. During high summer, ships would becalm in these waters and a vessel without a Tidesage could drift for a week before there was enough breeze to flutter your colors.

Flynn had his own colors these days -- the Fairwind Trading Company flew a pair of crossed red macaws rampant on a field of Kul Tiran green. Well, as rampant as a parrot was ever going to get, at least. She was a pretty ensign, he thought, but he'd designed her. Of course he'd think so. He really needed to get himself another parrot. The last one he'd had was blown off the ship during that terrible storm in Zandalar, poor thing, and never seen again.

They were on their way to the Krasarang Wilds. The fisherman who'd witnessed the sinking of the _Squeaky Wheel_ was from the little fishing village of Marista on the edge of the Nayeli Lagoon. They were still three days out, but making good time. Flynn chuckled when he recognized Billie's tortured attempt at the tune for _Theramore Ladies_ on Relly's fiddle. He sang a verse, hoping to get her on tune again.

_Farewell and Tide's blessing, you Theramore ladies_   
_The tide's on the ebb and we're off to sea_   
_For we've received orders to sail for Kul Tiras_   
_Our sails are all set for the eastering breeze_

It had been years since anyone had sailed to or from Theramore. The city was nothing but a crater now, but the song remained, a bittersweet memory. Billie looked up and tried again to follow the melody, doing a little better that time, though she had a long way to go.

***

Johnny was in the crow's nest when the cry of "land ho!" went up. They were coming in with Windward Isle cresting on the horizon, the clouds hanging above. It would be a couple of hours yet before they were close enough to see much detail, but Flynn knew the outward bound leg of their journey was almost done. The waters off the Jade Forest were shallow and filled with sea stacks, so they couldn't easily ride the coastal currents around the point by Moonwater Retreat.

Sailing closer to land required more of everyone's attention, adjusting sails and keeping watch on the soundings so they wouldn't get into water that was too shallow. Flynn could usually tell the sea's approximate depth by the color, but he was less familiar with Pandaren waters than the sea routes between Kul Tiras and closer ports.

As they sailed closer to the coast, Flynn kept a sharp eye out for bright streaks of color moving in the sky above Windward Isle as he tended his ship's course. When he finally spotted them, he pulled out his spyglass to make sure the view was clear. He turned to his Tidesage. "Bess, take the wheel for a few, would you?"

"Of course." She stepped up and took over and Flynn went to the railing on the quarterdeck. "Monkey!" he shouted. "To me!"

The kid looked up from where she'd been helping tighten one of the lines. "Aye, Captain!" She ran across the main deck and up the stairs to the quarterdeck. "Aye, sir?"

"You want to see something magical?" he asked.

She gave him a skeptical look, hands on her hips. "What, more water?"

"Button it, Monkey. Come over and lean on the rail. Rest your elbows here so they're steady." She did as she was told and he crouched down beside her and handed her his spyglass. "Careful with that. If you drop it overboard, you're going in the drink to find it again. Got it?"

She nodded, worried, and clutched the tube.

"Now, look through there." He looked over her shoulder and helped her target the bright ribbons of scales. "Focus by turning the tube a bit if you need to."

She fiddled with the focus for a moment, then gasped. "What _are_ they?"

"They're called cloud serpents, Miss Nets. They're a sort of dragon."

"Dragons? Do they eat people?" He couldn't tell whether she was more excited or scared. Probably excited.

"Well, I suppose they could, but the ones here don't. The pandarens raise them from eggs. The things are smart as you are, and the pandarens ride on them. Sometimes the cloud serpents help their riders fight in battles."

"Ohhhh, Tides!"

He gave her a few minutes to watch the cloud serpents shimmering through the sky before he had to get back to tending the ship. "Right, then. Time to give me back my spyglass."

"No!"

He'd figured she would say that. "That's mine, Miss Nets, and I'm your Captain. You need to follow orders, here." 

"Or what?" she scoffed.

He scooped her up under her arms and swung her around, growing, "Or I'll throw you to the sharks!" She shrieked. He set her feet on the deck and grabbed the spyglass before she realized what was happening. "Now, if you want to know more about cloud serpents, you go ask Mister Finebrew!"

Yun looked up from tying off a line when he heard his name. "Come with me, Monkey!" Yun said. "Do you want to hear about Alani the Stormborn? She was the _very first_ cloud serpent in the world."

Billie ran over to him with an enthusiastic, "Aye!" He scooped her up onto his shoulders and went to the railing on the main deck, quietly telling her the tale. Flynn took himself back to the wheel.

As day wore into evening, they rounded the point off Moonwater Retreat and sailed into the waters of the Krasarang Wilds. They ran up the signal flags and hailed the fort at Lion's Landing for permission to dock for the night, and were granted, so long as they didn't leave the ship. It was a military installation dealing with active incursions of saurok, and Flynn had just wanted to get the stores of fresh water topped up. Their request for water was granted. They had dinner while they were docked, and their empty water barrels were sent down to the dockers then filled and sent back up to the ship.

Tomorrow, they'd make Marista.

***

The fishing village of Marista was on a tiny island on the eastern edge of the Nayeli Lagoon. They arrived in the early afternoon. The water was shallow so they had to anchor a fair distance off the beach. They'd need to take the rowboat in to find the fisherman who'd seen the _Squeaky Wheel_.

"Do you mind if I take the kite up to Halfhill for a couple of hours when we go ashore, Captain? We're so close to home," Yun said.

Flynn shook his head. "After we've done the salvage mission, we'll take a day or so of shore leave. You can head on up then, and have more time. Right now, I need everyone focused."

Yun nodded. "Aye, Captain."

"I'll want you to come ashore with me to talk to the locals, though. Won't hurt to have a friendly face among the crew to sweeten the response."

"I agree. Also? They'll probably offer us dinner. Fish fry! I'm guessing they'll invite the whole crew."

"You think they'll have crab legs?" Flynn asked. Crab legs would be tasty.

Yun shrugged. "More than likely. The big ones are common in these parts."

Flynn called to have the rowboat lowered. "Yun, Sparks, you're with me. We'll talk to the villagers at Marista and get back as soon as we're able."

"Aye," Sonya said. "Good luck."

Flynn and Yun rowed while the Boatswain kept an eye out for any hazards in the water. She leaped out with a line when they got close enough to shore and tied the little craft off. A large, bearded pandaren Monk dressed in steel grey approached their group. He bowed.

"I am Brewmaster Bo. Welcome to Marista. What business do you have with us today?'

Flynn and his group bowed in return. "Brewmaster Bo, I'm Captain Flynn Fairwind of the _Bold Arva_. These are my crewmates, Boatswain Sparks Turnsprocket, and my ship's cook, Yun Finebrew. We've been sent to find a fisherman from your village named Leni Kelpenstout. He apparently witnessed the sinking of a goblin ship about a month ago, offshore somewhere."

"Oh, Leni. Yes, he spoke of the event."

"We've been contracted by Madam Goya to salvage the vessel and we'd like to hire Kelpenstout to guide us to the place where she went down."

Bo nodded. "I see. Well. Come with me. You're in luck; Leni's in the village today instead of out fishing." He gestured for Flynn and the crew to follow. They made their way from the sandy beach and the little pier up into the village itself. There wasn't much of it, but it was a well kept little place.

Fishing nets hung, drying on their racks. There were strings of drying fish everywhere, and laundry hung from lines outside one of the huts. Several kids ran around the area, playing, while the adults were busy at their work. Flynn saw a Kitemaster sitting, smoking a pipe at his platform, reading a scroll.

"Leni!" Bo shouted as they approached one of the huts.

"What do you want, Bo?" Flynn guessed the grumpy voice was probably Leni himself. The door opened and a pandaren peeked out and squinted at Bo. "I have a hangover. Go away."

"You have company," Bo said, striding up to the door and pushing it the rest of the way open. Leni grumbled and shaded his eyes with one hand. Flynn could only sympathise. "It's about that goblin ship you saw last month."

Leni groaned. "Why now?" He looked over at Flynn and his crew. "Can't you wait until tomorrow?'

Flynn shrugged. "We could, mate. We're not in a huge rush. But we want to hire you to take us to where she went down."

"Mmm. Dangerous out there. It's off the coast of Unga Ingoo. Captain Ook's crew patrols the area. If your tub doesn't have cannons, you'll have a rough time of it. And if I'm on your ship with you, so will I."

"Captain Ook?" Sparks asked.

"A hozen pirate," Bo said.

"Oh, just what we need," Yun grumbled.

"Well, somebody sunk her. Pirates do that kind of thing." Flynn looked at Leni. "Did you see them plunder the ship?"

Leni shook his head, then groaned and covered his eyes with one paw. He leaned against the door frame. "No. It was the ugliest ship I've ever seen. All metal and smoke, and it stunk of burning oil. It looked to me like Ook was just using it for target practice. I can't imagine them carrying anything valuable."

Perfect. The hozen hadn't realized the _Squeaky Wheel_ carried cargo, and that meant that the _Arva_ wouldn't have to go hunt the miserable ookers down to see if they had Goya's tea. "That's good news for us," Flynn said.

"Great. Fine," Leni muttered. "Go away. Let me sleep this off. We can talk tomorrow."

Flynn nodded. "No problem, mate. Get some rest. At least I know what to expect now. We can talk after breakfast tomorrow about what you'll want for guiding us to the site of the wreck."

Leni made a disgusted gurgling noise and closed the door.

Bo turned to Flynn. "I imagine your crew might enjoy an evening ashore. Would you care to join our village for dinner this evening?'

"Oooh," Yun said. "What's on the menu?"

"Fried fish medley, grilled reef octopus, and roasted crab legs. A couple of the things attacked the village this morning and we get to eat them now." Bo smiled. "We also have stewed bamboo shoots and a very tasty banana-infused rum."

"I? Am on this," Flynn said. "That sounds fantastic."

"It does," Sparks said.

"You two head back to the _Arva_ ," Flynn said. "Get a volunteer for baboon watch, and tell 'em that we'll bring back a feast when we come back tonight to sleep. I'll stay here and get some more information."

"Aye, Captain," Yun said. The two of them turned and hurried back to the rowboat, chattering happily about the upcoming dinner.

"How many are in your crew?" Bo asked. "I'll need to let everyone know how much food we need to prepare.

"Twelve total," Flynn said. "One will remain aboard, but we'll of course want to feed them when we head back for the night. Our cabin monkey is only nine years old, so she's not going to need a full share at dinner."

"Thank you. Please, come with me to my hut. We'll speak with Cranfur on the way and let him know."

Flynn followed Bo and they ended up in a little hut, out of the sun. There was a cool, pleasant breeze blowing through the windows, and Flynn relaxed in the chair he was offered. 

"Would you like some green tea?'

Flynn nodded. "Love some, thanks." An ale might have been better, but you got what you got, and you always had what your host offered.

Bo prepared the tea and Flynn closed his eyes for a few moments. It was a nice little place, for a dust speck of a fishing village. The sandy beach was smooth and pleasant, and the sound of the waves was soothing. He could smell the ocean, and drying fish, and the heavy scent of flowers and vegetation blowing in from the jungle on the mainland. Seagulls screeled above them. It was a good place for dinner.

Flynn opened his eyes when he heard the quiet click of the teacup being set down on the little table in front of him. "I assume you have questions," Bo said.

"I do, and thanks." He picked up the cup and sipped as Bo did. "What can you tell me about this Captain Ook character, and the local hozen?"

"Have you dealt with hozen before, Captain?"

Flynn nodded. "Never sailed with any, but I'm familiar with some crews that do. Met some that were okay -- they were a fun lot to hang out with -- but the majority tended to drink first and fling dook later. Chaotic bunch. Easy to anger unless you approach 'em proper."

"It seems you have some idea of what to expect." Bo nodded. "A few years ago, a Bloodsail ship wrecked on Unga Ingoo. Ook was one of the tribal leaders there. They salvaged weapons and ideas from the shipwrecked pirates, and suddenly we had a menace on our hands."

Bloodsail? That could be an issue. "Any of the Bloodsail survive?"

Bo shook his head. "Not long, no. But Ook has cannons and rifles and if he spots you, he _will_ come after you."

Flynn sighed. "Okay, that's good to know. I'll be sure the crew's prepared and that we're all sharp while we're dealing with the salvage operation."

"A wise course of action, Captain."

Flynn shrugged. "Common sense. Most would say I haven't any, but I've not survived this long on luck alone."

"Of that, I am certain."

***

The feast last night had been quite a party. The crew had appreciated both the time off and the food. Billie had been fascinated by the village and the pandaren children and ended up talking with them for quite a while, exchanging tales with them.

They'd brought a huge pile of food back to Yun, who'd stayed with the ship because he knew he'd be taking a trip to Halfhill in a few days anyway. "No need for me to go when I'll have a better time with my family. Let someone else enjoy it," he'd said.

Leni Kelpenstout was brought aboard the _Arva_ after breakfast. "I'll take you out there, but if we get attacked by hozen and actually manage to survive? You're paying me double my price for guiding you."

Flynn nodded. "It's a reasonable request." Goya was paying them enough for the job.

"Can I see your charts? I can show you the general area and we can get started." Leni crossed his arms over his barrel chest.

"Come on up." Flynn led him up to the quarterdeck. The weather was fair, so they had the navigational charts laid out in the sun. Leni followed.

"Hmmm…." The pandaren studied the chart of the waters carefully. "It's in this area." He poked one furry finger on a spot south of Unga Ingoo, where the depths dropped off quickly. 

"Do you know if it was in the shallows, or off the continental shelf?" Flynn asked.

"Well, I was in the shallows, fishing reef octopus. I wasn't sure of the color of the water where the ship went down. There are coral reefs there, though, so the depth is more variable than your charts suggest."

Flynn turned to the crew. "We'll need to look sharp the whole time we're out here, and that goes double for while our divers are down. You all heard the discussion over dinner last night. If we meet the hozen, they will be armed and dangerous, and disinclined to take prisoners." 

Thurin shifted uneasily. "You sure we want Billie along with us for this?"

Flynn sighed. "She's the powder monkey. We'll need one if we get attacked. I know you're worried about her. I mean, we all will be. But that's life at sea."

"I don't want to go ashore," Billie said.

"Then you won't," Flynn assured her.

"This is better than Dampwick ever was. That was dangerous, too."

He nodded. "I know."

They made for the point on the chart that Leni had indicated, with the pandaren offering minor course corrections as his memory was jogged by the landmarks along the way. It took them about two hours to arrive at the point where Leni thought the ship had gone down. The _Arva_ hove to so that they could have a look below. The island of Unga Ingoo lay to their starboard, too close for comfort.

"I think I see her," Grixx shouted down from the crow's nest. "Oil slick's still here. Her engines must be leakin'."

"Get me a sounding," Flynn shouted.

"On it, Captain!" Sparks said. She got out the lead and line and slid to the other side of the railing, then cast it out into the deep. Flynn watched as she let the line reel out. A few minutes later, Sparks called up, "Twenty fathoms at the mark, Captain!"

Fairly deep, but not mid-ocean trench material. "Can you make her out down there?"

"I can see yellow and red, but it's just a patch."

"Drop a buoy so we can mark the location, and let's get the dive gear ready. Reef the sails, lads and ladies, and drop the sea anchor. Tidewalker, hold us steady right here."

"Aye, Captain," the Tidesage responded.

"All eyes sharp! We're in hozen territory and we don't want to end up taking the _Squeaky Wheel_ 's watch! Relly and Grixx, get yourselves ready to dive."

There was a chorus of "Aye aye!" and everyone sprang into action.

Harmen tied twenty fathoms of line with a lead at the bottom to a red glass float in a sheath of netting and slung it over the railing to mark the wreck's position. It bobbed on the surface of the waves, a big, hollow globe.

"Come on, sweetie, I'll race ya," Grixx said, poking Relly with her elbow.

"You shall assuredly lose," Relly responded, pulling two of the dive helmets from the box. They attached the air lines to the pump and then to the helmets as Sparks finished checking it out and powering it up.

"Ship ahoy!" Johnny shouted. He'd gone aloft to the crow's nest when Sparks had come down to deal with the dive gear. "Abaft the beam to starboard! Closing fast!"

Flynn looked abaft and saw the ship coming round the curve of the coast. "Scuttle the dive!" Flynn shouted. "Raise the sea anchor! Battle stations, everyone!"

Sparks pulled out her boatswain's whistle and blew the commands. Everyone ran. He could hear the capstan cranking to bring the sea anchor up. "Bess, bring us about to show 'em our broadside! Gunnies, roll 'em out to starboard!"

Thurin grabbed a rifle and ran it aloft for Johnny in the crow's nest, then slid back down the rigging to grab another for himself. Yun and Sonya took up rifles as well.

The _Arva_ turned as the Tidesage churned the water beneath her, slow and lumbering. The hozen ship closed until Flynn could hear the jabbering shrieks of the crew in the distance. 

As she neared cannon range, the hozen captain shrieked, "We're here for yer shineys, ya wikkets! Beware my grookin' crew!"

Flynn could see the hozen's guns were larger than the _Arva_ 's. Ten pounders, at least. They had range on her, but Flynn had a Tidesage, years of experience, and a brilliant crew. He hadn't been a feared pirate captain for nothing. He let the hozen ship close. They weren't firing yet, and they were fools for it. The captain obviously didn't have a feel for the range of his guns.

As the pirates moved into range of his six pounders, Flynn shouted, "Fire the guns!" The boatswain's whistle sounded and the cannons roared, lurching the _Arva_. "Raise a fog," Flynn snapped to Tidewalker, as the cannonballs flew.

"Aye aye." She swirled her hands and raised them, a thick grey mist surging up from the waves to cloak their ship. Flynn could just see one of their shots strike the hull of the pirate ship, the other landing on the deck, sending splintering wood and shrieking hozen everywhere.

"Raise the sails!" Flynn shouted. "Bring us about to starboard!" The crew snapped into action. He gestured to Bess. "Help turn her to about so we're not showing her our broadside and get us into rifle range." 

The _Arva_ started to turn as the hozen cannons fired. One shot missed them entirely but the other hit the foremast, bringing it down.

"Abyss take it," Flynn snarled, as he spun the wheel.

The falling mast tore the mainsail and shattered another spar on the way down, but they didn't strike anyone, nor did the snapping lines. The shattered mast and rigging on the deck would make hand to hand fighting harder if it got that far, though. Everyone on deck ran to try to clear space. "Give 'em another shot, gunnies!" He could hear them start to reel the guns back to be cleaned out and loaded again.

"Dookers! You don't cross Captain Ook! We'll grook yer whole crew!" The hozen had a nasty looking hook hand that Flynn didn't want to have anywhere near him.

"Fire when ready, boys!" It would take a couple of minutes, but Harmen and Siward knew what they were doing and they were fast with the reloads. Flynn wanted to buy a little time, and a pissed off hozen was an off balance hozen. "You couldn't sink a rock in a pond, you ikkin' son of a dooker!"

Captain Ook and his crew shrieked in incoherent rage. "Wikkets! We'll feed ye to the slickies!"

"Eat this!" Harmen shouted from the gun deck, and the cannons roared again. This time Flynn could see that both shots struck the pirate ship near the waterline. They'd start taking on water, which meant they'd be panicked and desperate in very short order.

"Rifles ready!"

"Ready!" His crew were lined along the bulkhead and the railing. They could see the vague shapes of the hozen through the fog as the two ships moved closer.

Flynn waited until they were in range. "Fire!" The rifles cracked and he watched hozen drop on the other ship. Soon they'd be in boarding range. The hozen would get to them first -- they were light and agile and could jump further than any of his own crew members. This fight was going to be on the _Arva_ 's decks.

"Miss Wheedleboil, give 'em a taste of goblin rocketry! Take out their sails!" Grixx scrambled and loaded up her rocket launcher. She braced and fired, and the rocket whistled into the mainsail of the hozen ship, exploding and setting it aflame. That would occupy at least half the hozen crew, if they still had their wits about them. Now they had to make sure the fire didn't spread to the _Arva_ , but Bess could manage that work.

Screaming hozen swarmed the rigging of their burning ship, grabbing lines, and a wave of them swung across the gap between the two vessels. Captain Ook swung across and launched himself from his line. He drew his cutlass in his good hand, arms spread wide as he flipped in midair, landing on the main deck in a crouch. 

Flynn fired his pistol at him, but missed; the hozen moved like lightning. Both crews engaged, blades clashing. Harmen and Siward were back on deck now, joining the fight. Even the kid had grabbed a dagger to join in. The air was a chaos of shouts and shrieks.

The _Arva_ 's crew were outnumbered, but with the pirate ship aflame, it wasn't as bad as it might have been. Flynn drew his own blades and braced one fist on the railing, vaulting from the quarterdeck down to the main deck. "Face me, you dooker!" Flynn shouted.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the hozen slam into Billie, knocking her back. She nearly went over the side, but Thurin reached out with a spell and dragged her back to him, then dropped the brilliant blast of a smite on the hozen's head.

Captain Ook leaped at Flynn. "I'll have yer wikket head!" 

Flynn swung back and to the side, blocking the blow with one cutlass and striking with the other, laying a slash along Ook's side. The hozen shrieked in pain. Chaos raged around them as the two engaged in a deadly dance of steel and blood. Hozen were strong and lithe and fast, but Flynn was smarter and hit harder, and he had the advantage of years of fighting experience. He dodged and spun as Ook struck out, raining lightning fast blows that Flynn sidestepped and warded off with his blades. With a kick, he tripped Ook and slashed a stripe into the hozen's shoulder as he tumbled past, gaining his feet again with an effortless motion.

Tidewalker swung her arm in an arc and a gust of wind blew a cluster of hozen away from her, into Yun's range. Yun grabbed one of the hozen and flipped it overboard before turning to another, smacking it in the head with a frying pan. It wobbled and dropped to its knees.

Ook got in under Flynn's guard and cut his hip. Most of the damage was blocked by the metal on his belts and the scabbard of his cutlass. The hozen had leaned in too far, though, and Flynn gave him a haymaker to the face with the guard of his cutlass, knocking him back and stunning him. With a grunt, Flynn lunged forward and ran the bastard through, and the hozen dropped to the deck, screaming, blood everywhere.

The other hozen shrieked when they saw their captain fall, any discipline they might have had falling apart entirely. Their ship was in flames, their captain dying, and Flynn and the crew of the _Arva_ pressed their advantage, driving the rest of them into the sea or back to their burning ship. 

"Take us away from her, Bess!" The pirate ship's burning masts would come down soon, and he didn't want them striking the _Arva_ , or they'd be in similar straits.

The Tidesage, panting from her fight, gave him a nod and raised her arms, shifting the waters beneath them and separating the ships with a rising wave that pushed them apart, and wind in the _Arva_ 's remaining sails as the pirate ship's rigging groaned. Moments later, the mainmast broke and fell where the _Arva_ 's quarterdeck had been, sending up a huge gout of water. The spreading fire lit the powder on her gun deck and it went up in a string of explosions that shot fragments of hull and decking everywhere. The _Arva_ 's crew hit the deck, trying to avoid the flying shrapnel. 

He got to his knees and looked up from where he'd taken cover. It didn't look like his ship or the crew had taken too much damage from the explosions. Flynn heaved a sigh of relief and staggered to his feet.

"All hands on deck! I want to see everyone's faces!" He had to make sure they were all accounted for, and what shape they were in.

The crew assembled, and Leni came up cautiously from belowdecks, where he'd run when the pirates had made their approach. "I expect that double pay," Leni grumbled, shaken.

Flynn looked at the battered and bloody group anxiously. "Where's Yun?"

Everyone turned to the search and soon they found their cook, moaning, under a pile of hozen bodies. "Over here," Johnny called, dragging the corpses off of him.

Thurin hurried over. Yun groaned and flopped onto his back. "Not as bad as it looks," the pandaren muttered.

"Oh, I'll be the judge of that, ye furball." Thurin looked him over.

Everyone else set to collecting any valuables from the bodies, then flinging them overboard, or to dressing wounds.

Flynn went to Billie, who sat on the deck against the bulkhead, curled into a little ball and shaking. He sat next to her, his hip aching, his blood slowly soaking into his clothing. Slipping an arm around her shoulders, he asked, "Will you be all right, lass?" She shivered and buried her face in his chest, but nodded her head. "You became a real sailor today, Billie, just like every other man and woman in this crew. You did us all proud, defending the _Arva_ like that. You could have stayed below and hid with Kelpenstout, where you'd have been safer, and no one would have said a word against you for it."

She took a deep, shuddering breath and looked up at him. "No, Captain. I couldn't. You said if those pirates won, they'd kill all of us. I'd rather die on my feet."

Flynn nodded. "You're a very brave lass, Miss Nets."

"It was scary."

"It always is. But you learn to cope with it. We'll see that you get some proper fighting lessons soon. Now go help the rest of the crew clean up, okay, Monkey?"

She straightened her narrow little shoulders and nodded. "Aye aye, Captain." Bracing a hand on Flynn's shoulder, she got to her feet and ran off to help.

Flynn rose and put a hand over the bleeding wound on his hip. The kid had come through, and he was proud of her. He'd been terrified the first time he'd been in a battle at sea, not much older than her. Their crew had prevailed, but it was a much messier fight than this had been, and they'd lost half the crew.

He limped across the deck, surveying the damage. They had spare spars lashed to the hull in case of damage, but none of them were tall enough to properly substitute for the foremast. They were going to have to re-rig one of the spars and run up the spare mainsail, as the one they were using was hanging from the rigging in tatters. Thurin would have to jury-rig a spar to the stump of the foremast until they could get a proper one raised. Ah, well. He'd sailed with worse.

The burning pirate ship slowly broke apart, disintegrating into water that was now swarming with sharks, and throwing a column of black smoke into the sky. It would attract attention, but Flynn was fairly certain they'd dealt with the worst threat the immediate area had to offer.

He got himself back up to the quarterdeck, checking on his crew along the way. Yun was the worst of them but, from the looks of it, Thurin had everything under control. Flynn leaned against the wheel, hanging his head for a moment while he rested. Sonya came over and lay a hand on his shoulder. "You all right, Cap'n? How much of that blood is yours?"

"Less than you'd think. I can wait my turn." He gave a desultory wave of one tired hand toward Thurin, who was finishing up with Yun.

"I'll go get him."

Flynn nodded and sighed. His hip felt like crap. They still had a salvage mission to complete. The fight meant it was probably going to be a two day project instead of one long day. He could still see the red buoy bobbing in the distance, marking the wreck site.

Thurin came over to him. "What have we got?'

"Slash across the hip. Belts and scabbard took most of it, so it's shallow, but it looks a mess. How's Yun?"

Thurin took Flynn's arm and led him over to lie on the deck against the hull so he could be examined. "Like he said, not as bad as it looked. He'll be right as rain by tomorrow, not even a scar." Firebeard's hands moved over Flynn, steady and gentle. "This, though, pretty much just a scratch. I'll have ye fixed right up."

"And the foremast?"

"I can jury-rig something, but we'll need a new mast before we set sail back to the Eastern Kingdoms."

"Probably something at Lion's Landing," Flynn said.

Thurin nodded as he moved Light through Flynn's injury. "We'll make it that far, for sure."

"I should send a letter home from there to let Mathias know we'll be a few days late. This is going to put us behind schedule."

"Aye, I should drop one to the missus myself." He looked up at Flynn. "How's our little one? Have ye talked to her?"

"She seemed to weather it as well as you'd expect for a kid with no training in their first battle. I think she'll be okay."

"She needs a home, Flynn," Thurin said with a sigh. "Someplace to stay between voyages."

"I know."

"Would ye object if I took the lass back to Ironforge with me? The wife and kids would take her in, I'm sure."

Flynn smiled as Thurin finished working on him. "I think that's a fantastic idea. She needs to get some actual weapons training while she's ashore, though."

Thurin nodded. "I can see ta that. She gets a pay packet like the rest of us, so she can spend some of it on some proper weapons and learning how ta use 'em."

"Why don't you talk to her when we get back to Marista. See what our Miss Nets thinks of the idea."

Thurin's face wrinkled into a gentle smile. "I'll do that. Thanks, Cap'n."

***

"Siward, Harmen, I want you two down there with spearguns to cover our salvage divers. The water's filled with sharks, as we all saw this morning."

"Aye, Cap'n," the brothers answered.

"Sparks, I want two more rigs ready to go, just in case." Flynn watched the water around them. "Tides only know what's down there. It'd be just our luck to have a bloody kraken show up."

Kelpenstout shook his head. "No kraken in these waters. We've got giant octopus, though."

"Because that's so much better," Flynn muttered.

"Comms for the helmets checks out," Sparks said, as she connected air lines to another two of the glass and metal globes.

Everyone was still on edge. While the crew prepped for the dive, Johnny and Thurin worked on dealing with the fallen mast. Firebeard wanted to cut the shattered upper portion of the stump smooth before affixing a spar to it. The stump itself was badly cracked all the way down to the deck, and they'd have to be careful when they were under sail. Flynn figured they'd need to limp back to Marista so that raising the substitute mast could be done without the whole crew aboard, to minimize risk of more injuries.

Yun and Kelpenstout went below to start working on something to eat later, talking quietly together. Eventually, the dive crew was ready, the air pump chuttering noisily. The four of them slid the globes down over their heads and, one by one, they dropped into the water. The Kul Tiran brothers went first, to make sure the water stayed clear for the gnome and the goblin.

The four of them made it down to the wreck. "She's a mess," Grixx said, her voice staticky over the comms.

"Crates floating all around us," Relly added. "None of them match the description of our objective."

"Go ahead and bring up what you find. It'll help clear the area so you can see the rest of it better. The one we're after is probably belowdecks or in the captain's quarters," Flynn said. "Look for anything that glows."

They strung one of Yun's larger fishing nets from a boom and winch, then lowered it to the crew, who filled it with crates. The operation was repeated several times, until the loose cargo was all on deck. By that time, it was dusk. "Everyone to the surface," Flynn ordered.

There was still cleanup to be done, but the crew was hungry and tired. Yun rang the galley bell and everyone stumbled below, exhausted. Dinner was subdued, but gratefully eaten. The evening watch still had to be set and Flynn was on mid, so he went to his cabin to get some sleep before he had to get up again. Before he slept, he scribbled a quick note to Mathias, to be delivered from Lion's Landing, outlining what had happened. Sealing it, he left it on his desk and went to bed.

***

The next day went slowly, as the hull and the bulkheads of the goblin vessel had been severely damaged by the pounding they'd taken from Ook's pirates before she sank. Grixx and Relly spent almost two hours hammering on things down there. Flynn could hear the strange, distorted clanking from the surface, even over the chuttery spluttering of the air pump.

When Relly relayed that the door to the captain's cabin was locked and couldn't be opened without potentially damaging what was inside, Flynn had to put on one of the dive helmets himself and make the descent.

He stripped down to his trousers and cutlasses, slung a speargun over his back, and dropped into the water. The helmet felt strange, and he hated that it restricted his vision so much. Kul Tirans were natural swimmers and could hold their breath far longer than a mainlander, but something like this needed an air supply. The wreck was deep, and getting into her was complicated.

He'd been working on picking the lock for fifteen minutes when Sparks's tinny voice broke his concentration. "Cap'n, we have trouble. There's a shadow coming up from below, and it's a big one. Kelpenstout thinks it's a giant octopus."

"Fuck my entire life," Flynn muttered. "Everyone, topside, now!"

The salvage crew made their way out of the tight, goblin-sized space and started for the surface. Once he was clear of the wreck, Flynn unlimbered his spear gun and started the ascent. All five of them rose slowly through the water.

"Here it comes!" Grixx shouted, a little below and behind him, her own speargun in hand. 

The thing was huge. No, it was monstrous. The eyes were as big as a gnome, the tentacles long and barnacled, and Flynn absolutely did not want to think about the beak that would be in the center of that thing. It must have been attracted by the noise, Flynn thought. Maybe it would leave them alone.

One long tentacle snaked out and made a grab for Siward. Nope. Not going to leave them alone. Probably wanted a snack.

Flynn and the others fired their spearguns, striking the beast, but that only angered it. Octopus blood and ink swirled in the water around them, and there were tentacles everywhere. He could hear the frantic, harsh breathing of his people inside his helmet, and Siward's yelp as the thing grabbed his leg. "It's got me!"

Without hesitation, Flynn swam toward Siward, drawing one of his blades. Fighting underwater was a fool's proposition, but they hadn't any choice if they didn't want to be going home short-handed. Harmen would never forgive him. Harmen was right by Flynn's side, the two of them hacking away at the tentacle that had twisted round his brother's limb.

Grixx and Relly went for the eyes. Gnomes and goblins were tiny but Tidemother, they were dangerous little things when they needed to be. Ounce for ounce, they were Azeroth's most vicious predators. The struggle was desperate and almost blind because of the amount of blood and ink in the water. One tentacle wrapped around Flynn's chest and squeezed, making it hard for him to draw breath. 

He stabbed at the thing, and the others came to help, but it was a terrible struggle. He thrashed as the shouts of his crew echoed in his ears. The next thing he knew there was a flash of light that caused the octopus to writhe and jerk, then another a second or so later. The thing let go of him and Flynn took a huge, gasping breath. Relly grabbed him by one arm and pulled him away from the twitching tentacles and Flynn saw that Thurin had dived down to join them. A Priest's spells weren't slowed by the water, and it was a good thing, because the dwarf had just saved their asses. The octopus's struggle faded until it floated, limp in the water, its tentacles wavering gently like strands of kelp. 

The crew swam to the surface and boarded the _Arva_ again. Flynn flopped down onto his back on the deck, gasping as Bess pulled the dive helm off of his head. Thurin dropped to his knees next to Flynn. "Cap'n, you all right?"

He was still panting as he answered, "That was deeply disturbing yet strangely arousing."

Thurin laughed. "Oh, aye, you're fine." He turned to where Siward lay on the deck next to him. "Siward?"

"The suckers tore up my leg a bit," Siward said, through gritted teeth.

"Ah, then, let me see to that."

Flynn lay on the deck and tilted his head back to look at Sonya, who stared down at him, furry hands on her hips. "I think we'll break for lunch, yeah?"

***

After lunch and some rest, Flynn went down to finish picking the lock on the captain's cabin door. As they expected, Madam Goya's chest was inside, as were several other valuable items and a small chest with what must have been the goblin crew's payroll. "That's it," Flynn said. "Our job here is done. Now let's get out of these Tides-cursed waters and back to Marista, where we can put the _Arva_ back together enough to get us to Lion's Landing."

It was another couple of hours to wrap up the salvage operations and clean the diving gear. Everything was stowed and the salvaged crates lashed down under cargo netting, then Flynn brought them about to sail for Marista. The downed foremast and broken mainmast spar hampered their navigation a bit, but Marista was only a few hours away, even like this.

When they limped into Marista, Leni Kelpenstout and most of the crew went ashore. Brewmaster Bo greeted them. "You look like you had a rough time."

"You should see the other guys," Flynn said.

"We saw the smoke and weren't sure what to think."

"Ook and his crew won't be bothering anyone again. The hozen won't even be able to crew the ship with a new captain, as we sunk her and she was beyond salvaging."

Bo invited them to stay for a couple of days while Thurin did his work. A few of the villagers offered their assistance, so the repairs were a little quicker than anticipated. Yun visited his family in Halfhill, as Flynn had promised him. 

When Thurin asked Billie if she wanted to live with him and his family in Ironforge, she was a little confused, initially, but pleased when she realized that it meant she'd not have to live on the ship all the time, with whoever happened to be on watch for company. "You'll have two brothers and a sister, as well as a mum and dad," Thurin told her. She seemed skeptical of the family angle, but willing to give it a try.

That evening, Flynn wrote Mathias a second letter, talking about the giant octopus attack. He'd send them both together when they got to Lion's Landing.

Lion's Landing was sympathetic to their plight, and they did have materials for a new mast and rigging. Johnny had been working constantly to repair the torn sails. Flynn sent everyone's letters in the post shortly after they made landfall. The saurok had been a little less active in the last few days, so they were allowed off the _Arva_ and to move around the areas nearest the docks, with the caveat that if saurok activity increased, they'd be required to go aboard again.

The next morning, one of the port authority lads brought mail for him and for Thurin. Flynn recognized Mathias's neat, clear handwriting immediately and felt a little flutter in his chest at the sight of it. He delivered Thurin's and then took himself to his cabin to read.

_My dearest scoundrel,_

_Your letters arrived this evening and I received them with relief. Why am I not surprised that you have managed to battle both hozen pirates and a giant octopus in the course of this commission?_

_While I am disappointed that you will be a few days late in arriving, it was good to hear that everyone survived both attacks. I had no idea that I would worry so much while you were gone. You are on my mind frequently, and I miss you terribly._

_How dare you be so effective at stealing my heart and changing my life in such a radical manner?_

_I have given thought to your endless complaints about the walk from the docks back to our flat and have assembled a selection of potential new residences closer to the ship. I would like to consider them with you upon your return. I hope that one of them will suit you. I will admit I'm sick of having to heat water for a bath all the time when hot running water is a thing that actually exists in the city. I'm sure you can imagine the uses we might find for an actual shower._

_I shall remind you once again that you are not allowed to die on me. I do insist on this detail and urge you to remain in one piece. The only person allowed to take you apart is me._

_I love you, and I eagerly await your return._

_Mathias_

Flynn couldn't help the ridiculous smile on his face. "Mathias, you are such a hopeless romantic." He glanced up at the S.E.L.F.I.E. hanging in its neat frame on his cabin bulkhead and sighed. Okay, maybe he was a hopeless romantic, too.

He pulled his compass from his pocket and flipped open the cover, where the little grass heart lay.

Yep. They were both hopeless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Theramore Ladies" is based on the sea shanty "Ladies of Spain". There were several versions extant. Here is a link for the Newfoundland version by Great Big Sea.
> 
> Ladies of Spain / Rant and Roar (Great Big Sea)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dmpz5QeR_g


	5. Power and Presence

The stop at Booty Bay had been less than a day. Flynn delivered the tea-chest to Madam Goya and told her about the difficulties they'd encountered along the way, and about the damage and repairs to the _Arva_. She was amused and surprisingly sympathetic, and added a bonus on top of their contracted pay. The most encouraging bit, as far as Flynn was concerned, was that she said she might call upon him again if she had need of a reliable contractor. All in all, it was a good haul, despite the problems. They sailed again with the turning of the tide, and would be back in Stormwind that night.

The sun was setting as they came into Stormwind Harbor. The docking was smooth, and Flynn was leaning on the railing of the quarterdeck with Sonya, disappointed that he hadn't yet seen Mathias on the docks. They were waiting for the dockers to finish tying her off and for the gangplank to go down when he noticed people on the docks starting to ripple and turn. He looked up toward the stairs from the city and his eyebrows rose.

"What?" he muttered.

"What do you mean, what?" Sonya said.

Flynn pointed. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Coming down the stairs from the sea wall, mounted on a coal black SI:7 stallion, was Mathias, looking even more devastating than usual. Beside him, on a huge white stallion, was King Anduin. They made a striking pair, but Flynn couldn't imagine why in the abyss the king was with him.

"Goldrinn's teeth, it's the king. What's he doing here?" She was as shocked as Flynn.

"Damned if I know." The call for gangplank down sounded and Flynn handed Sonya their papers for the Harbormaster's office without taking his eyes off of Mathias and Anduin. "Somehow I don't think I'm going to have time to do this tonight."

"I'll deal with it," she said. "Let me know what's going on when you have a chance, yeah?"

Flynn hurried down to the dock as Mathias and Anduin approached at a calm walk. A crowd was gathering, staying well back from the pair. Mathias looked around and saw something on the edge of the crowd that brought a twitch of a smile to his lips, but then his eyes focused on Flynn. The little lift of his lips shifted into an affectionate smile and Flynn's heart wanted to stop.

The two of them came up to Flynn, Anduin stopping a few paces before Mathias did. Mathias dismounted with an efficient, elegant motion, and strode to Flynn, taking him in his arms. Frankly, it didn't matter who was on the docks with them right now, nothing was going to interfere with the age-old ritual of a sailor greeting his lover with a kiss on his return from a voyage. Flynn tucked his arms around Mathias and kissed him hard.

It was like being able to breathe again after having been underwater for too long. The kiss felt endless, their bodies pressed together, Flynn's fingers digging into Mathias's short hair. He rested his forehead against Mathias's and looked into his lover's green eyes.

"Welcome home," Mathias murmured.

"I missed you," Flynn answered. "But what's Himself doing here?" His eyes shifted to where Anduin sat, still mounted, looking quite pleased with himself but otherwise unmoving.

Mathias smiled. "I'll explain soon." They parted and Mathias led Flynn to Anduin.

Flynn bowed. "Your Majesty? To what do I owe this honor?"

"Welcome home, Captain Fairwind. I hear you had an eventful voyage. I'm here to accompany you back to Old Town."

Completely confused, Flynn looked at Mathais, who just nodded. He mounted up. "You're going to make me walk while you ride? A bit rude, that, especially after that kiss."

"Not at all." Mathias reached a hand down and motioned with his head for Flynn to mount up behind him. Flynn took Mathias's hand and hoisted himself up behind Mathias's saddle.

He wrapped his arms around Mathias's waist. "What's going on?" he asked as they turned their horses and started back to the city side by side.

Anduin looked over at him, calm. "Consider this a political move, Captain Fairwind. A few things have happened in your absence, and I felt it necessary to ensure that certain people are unavoidably aware that you and Master Shaw are in my favor. That _you_ are in my favor."

"I don't understand."

"I'll explain when we get home," Mathias told him again. "For the moment, just try to look pretty for the S.E.L.F.I.E.s that are even now being taken of this little tableau."

Flynn chuckled. "You think I have to _try_ to look pretty, Mathias?"

Anduin smiled. Mathias poked Flynn with his elbow. "Hush. Try for dignified. I'm sure you can manage if you work at it."

Flynn shook his head. "Nah. That's a little harder. I'm exhausted and I stink of creosote from the new mast. No dignity until I've had a bath."

"He's just as dignified as he needs to be, Master Shaw," Anduin said.

Flynn found the experience of riding up those bloody stairs ever so much more pleasant than the long hike he was used to, and being pressed up against Mathias's back on a moving horse was an extra added bonus. "Why would anyone be taking S.E.L.F.I.E.s?" Flynn asked. "Well, okay, I mean, the king and all, but… you know what? Never mind." He shook his head and just rested his chin on Mathias's shoulder. He thought about the picture on his cabin's bulkhead. Somebody had taken that, after all.

When they arrived in Old Town, near their flat, Anduin nodded to them. "I'll bid you goodnight, gentlemen. Have a very pleasant evening. Master Shaw, please feel free to take tomorrow off." As he moved away from them, he was flanked by two mounted guards in escort.

Mathias took them to the SI:7 stables, where he left the horse with one of the grooms. He took Flynn's hand and they walked home from there.

When they were home, with the door locked behind them, Flynn asked, "What in the abyss was that all about?"

Mathias started water on the hearth for Flynn's bath. He sighed. "You and I have been the subject of an uncomfortable amount of gossip in this city for quite some time," he said. "Most of it has been unremittingly negative, particularly about you."

"About me? What have I done?" He shrugged off his greatcoat and hung it by the door, put his weapons on the table, and started shedding his clothes.

"You exist, and you are very unapologetically yourself." Mathias gave him a troubled look.

"Well, whatever the problem is, if it's because of that, there's not much I can do about it." Flynn shrugged. "If somebody has a problem with me, I'll invite them to meet my fist."

"Direct," Mathias said, "but sadly there are a number of issues that can't be resolved in quite that manner."

"What's wrong, then?"

"Flynn, there are a number of people in this city who feel that who you are means you are unworthy to be my partner." Flynn's nose wrinkled but he let Mathias continue, saying nothing. "I have been attempting to disabuse people of this notion, but a fair amount of it is coming from the nobility. The display this evening was Anduin making his approval of our match public and explicit. There were professional muckrakers in the crowd this evening who will no doubt end up spreading speculative gossip about the whole thing, but you should be prepared to hear a variety of scurrilous things about yourself for a while until this is under control."

Flynn rolled his eyes. "I thought you knew that Scurrilous was my middle name," he said. "Mathias, I was a _pirate_. I was never pardoned for that and, as far as I know, there's still a price on my head in some quarters. You remember that piracy carries the death penalty in Kul Tiras, right? My situation there right now is based on the goodwill of my friends, my work for the Alliance, and the tacit support of the Lord Admiral." Flynn tossed the last of his clothing aside and stood next to the table, naked. "They're right. As far as they're concerned, I'm _not_ a fit partner for you. I'm nothing more than a thief and a murderer in their eyes. Why would you expect anyone to approve?"

Mathias looked like he'd been punched in the gut. "I intend to have words with the Lord Admiral about your status, then. If she wasn't aware of the situation, she will be very soon, and we will get that sorted immediately."

Flynn closed his eyes, his heart aching. He looked at Mathias again. "That's… kind, Mathias. If you get it, it'll make things at least a little less dangerous for me in some ports. But even a pardon from the Lord Admiral isn't going to change anyone's mind about who and what I am. In the end, does it really matter what they think?"

Mathias's eyes lowered for a moment, then he met Flynn's gaze. "It matters to me. It matters when people accuse me of being a disgrace to the Alliance for loving you." His expression hardened and Flynn's heart ached. "I will not have you treated that way. I will not have you disrespected." The hardness turned to a blaze of fury. "You and I are not so different as they imagine, and when they strike at you, they strike at me. I will not tolerate their prejudice," he spat.

"Mathias," Flynn murmured, holding out a hand to him.

Mathias took Flynn's hand in his. He paused, uncomfortable, before he spoke. "For most of my life, I have been _invisible_. I have been the knife in the dark that allows House Wrynn to rule in the daylight of Stormwind. This sudden exposure of my private life, and the judgment of people who know nothing of substance about either of us is infuriating and potentially damaging." He tugged Flynn into his arms and held him, his armor pressing against Flynn's skin. "They assume that I must be of some high status family when you and I both know that isn't true."

Flynn slid his arms up around Mathias and he ran his hand through his hair, encouraging him to rest his head on Flynn's shoulder. Mathias drew a shuddering breath. "You are the only good thing I've ever had in my life. I will not allow them to treat what we have in such a manner. Anduin is in agreement. His display this evening was not my idea, but if it can change the tide of words that are swirling around us right now, I will accept it. What he did tonight is an unimaginable display of his respect and support for both of us."

"I'll admit it was a bit of a shock."

Mathias pulled away and checked the water. It was apparently hot enough, as he took the basin to the tub and poured it in. "Come on. You wanted a bath, here it is."

Flynn went over and got into the tub. It was barely big enough for Mathias. For Flynn it was more like a lovely warm puddle than a real bath. Mathias was right, they needed a new place.

"So," Flynn said, relaxing as much as he could in the small space. "If we know that Himself approves, does that mean I can act in an entertainingly scandalous manner to rub their faces in it?"

Mathias huffed. He smiled and shook his head. "It's not you that I want to change."

Flynn cackled. "That would be a yes, then! Fantastic! How can we best annoy them?"

Mathias's smile broadened into a grin. "I'm sure you'll think of something. We'll have an opportunity early next week, because you and I have been invited to a social evening at the Keep, and a fair number of our detractors will be in attendance."

Flynn tilted an eyebrow at him. "A social evening? Does that mean I have to play dress-up?" He wasn't entirely certain he wanted to deal with a 'social evening.'

Mathias's grin took a twist to the lascivious. "Would that be so bad?"

Flynn wagged one wet finger at him. "You're a very naughty boy, Mathias Shaw, expecting a simple pirate to play dress-up for you."

Mathias prowled over to him from where he'd put the water basin down. "You have to let me choose what you wear." His green eyes were sparkling with amusement. "I have some rather specific ideas about what would look good on you."

"I could go naked." Flynn grinned.

"Mmmm. Sadly, that sort of thing is a bit too scandalous. Besides, your skin is only for me." Mathias rested a hand on Flynn's chest, his fingers moving in a slow caress.

Flynn covered Mathias's hand with his own, looking up at him with affection in his heart and a growing warmth in his groin. "Take off your armor, Master Shaw. Let me see my love, Mathias. I missed him while I was at sea."

"Flynn," Mathias whispered. He leaned down and kissed Flynn, fierce and wanting. When he stood back, his face was flushed and they were both panting from it. Flynn watched as Mathias unbuckled his spaulders and dumped them on the table with a dull thud.

The belt and the overly-complicated leather corset were next, then the shirt beneath. Flynn watched, appreciative, his hand wandering south to stroke himself slowly. "Oh, I am a lucky boy," Flynn murmured.

Mathias, who'd sat down to take off his boots, looked up at him with a heated glance. "About to get even luckier." He stood to unfasten his leg armor and slid it off, taking everything beneath with it and left it all in a pile on the floor.

Flynn gave himself a squeeze then reached out to Mathias, magnificently naked and half hard already. "Come here, love." Mathias approached and took his hand. "There's not much room in the tub, but we can see how well we'll fold up together."

Mathias stepped in, carefully, and knelt over Flynn with his knees at either side of Flynn's body. There wasn't a lot of room, but he settled close and kissed Flynn. "You do smell of creosote." Mathias's nose wrinkled.

"I did warn you. It'll wash out."

"I really don't care that you smell." He pressed his groin to Flynn's and rocked against him. 

Flynn hummed with the pleasure of his love's body and wrapped his arms around Mathias, pulling them together. Tides, it felt so good to have the man in his arms again. With enough of it, he might even be tempted to give up going to sea. He moaned into their next kiss, slow and languid. No. He'd tempt Mathias to sail with him, that would be the better choice. Leave the madness of mainlander politics, the snipes and cuts of the nobles who thought themselves better than both of them by only the possession of their high-born names, who'd wounded Mathias in ways that a knife never could.

They moved together slowly in the warm, shallow water of the bath. There was no room for more than that, but it felt a bit decadent anyway. Right now, Flynn was perfectly happy to go with decadent. He slid one hand down Mathias's back to cup the firm globe of one cheek, and he squeezed. Mathias moaned, quiet, into Flynn's mouth. Flynn had the feeling neither of them were going to last. Near three weeks apart had been too much for both of them, he could tell.

The water in the tub sloshed softly as they moved, easing the way for them as they kissed and rocked together. Mathias rested his forehead against Flynn's for a moment, eyes closed, his face open with pleasure, before he buried it in Flynn's shoulder. Flynn gripped both of Mathias's cheeks and pulled him closer. "That's right, love, let go," Flynn whispered, his entire body aflame with his lover's touch. Mathias whimpered and thrust hard against him, his body shuddering as he came.

Panting, Mathias rested for a moment, then leaned back and kissed Flynn. He reached between them and took Flynn's cock in hand, stroking, and Flynn's eyes rolled back with the bliss of fucking into his lover's fist. The pleasure built, a pressure inside him, until it finally burst forth in a blaze. "Mathias!" he gasped.

Mathias stroked him gently a few more times as Flynn floated, then slipped his arms around Flynn. "Welcome home," Mathias whispered.

Flynn's eyes fluttered open, a dazed, sated smile on his face. "Best kind of welcome."

***

Waking in Flynn's arms was the closest thing Mathias could imagine to bliss. Before he'd met the man, before they'd become whatever they were now, he would never have thought that just lying, silent, with his head on someone's chest and listening to their heart beat would be such a restful, comforting thing. And now he was used to it and when Flynn was away, not having it left a hole in his chest that nothing else filled.

They'd got up and gone to the Pig and Whistle for breakfast. Mathias was conscious of the people around them, even as he listened to Flynn's recounting of the _Arva_ 's battle with Captain Ook and the hozen pirates. After last night's drama with Anduin at the docks, he could feel the shift in the air. He wasn't certain yet what would come of it, but he could see the change in people's regard. He'd have to wait until after the 'social evening' to get a better sense of it. Tomorrow's _Stormwind This Week_ would probably have at least one S.E.L.F.I.E. of the whole scene and give him a handle on the city's reaction.

He'd brought the list of addresses for the flats open to rent that his minion had compiled. Flynn was curious about the whole thing. They wandered around the Trade District and the Mage Quarter looking at places. Mathias had ruled out the Dwarven District as too prone to explosions and too far from the harbor. 

"I like this place," Flynn said about one of the Mage Quarter flats. "The view of the harbor's amazing. But… well… I mean it's a bit too posh for my liking, really. Can't see being comfortable here."

Mathias nodded, glad to hear they agreed. The gryphon landing on the top of the tower below was a security nightmare. "Let's look at the next place. It's on the harbor side of the Trade District facing the canal and Lion's Rest."

The flat fronting the canal had a near-hidden entrance and a narrow stairway leading up; it would be defensible. It was on the top floor, so there was a view, and everything was spacious enough for two humans to be comfortable. The bath was big enough for a Kul Tiran, it had a shower, and the bedroom was large enough for a bed they could both stretch out on a bit. There was a hearth in the bedroom and an actual cooking stove in the open kitchen and living space. The smaller second bedroom would make a decent place for Mathias to work at home if need be.

"This seems suitable," Mathias said. He looked away from the view over Lion's Rest. It was a painful reminder of his failure in the Broken Isles, but he could also see the _Arva_ docked below, and that… it took some of the sting out of it, thinking that he'd be able to see the ship on approach when Flynn was returning home from sea.

Flynn joined him at the window and looked out. Mathias could tell when his eyes found his ship, because he smiled. His focus shifted to the foreground, though, and the smile faded. He put an arm around Mathias's waist and turned his head, looking Mathias in the eyes. "Would you be okay, though, having to look at that every day?" he asked, a flick of his head indicating the memorial. "I can't imagine what seeing it must bring back for you."

Mathias sighed. "Everything in Stormwind brings something back for me. There's no escape from it: the cathedral, the keep, the walls themselves." Mathias shook his head as Flynn drew him into an embrace. Mathias returned it. "But this is my home. This is my city. And we can see the _Bold Arva_ from here. It's a new memory, and a better one."

Flynn nodded "This, then. And we'll make enough new memories to wash the pain from the old ones."

Agreed, they went to speak to the landlord and signed for the rental. There would be time to move the few things from his old place that Mathias wanted to keep, and to commission the necessary new things. A bed was the first item on Mathias's list. There would be space for Flynn's things, as well, which hadn't been the case in Mathias's old place.

They parted for the afternoon, as Flynn had work to tend to, and Mathias had a project of immediate concern in Boralus to deal with. "I'll see you in a few hours, love," Flynn said, and Mathias made his way back to the Mage Quarter, and the portal room.

He presented himself at Proudmoore Keep less than half an hour later, and spoke to one of the guards at the gates. "What business?" the guard asked. She looked bored.

"Spymaster Shaw, on urgent business with the Lord Admiral. I'm afraid I haven't an appointment, but I'd like to see her as soon as possible."

The guard nodded and waved for another guard from inside the keep. "Take this gentleman to the Lord Admiral's secretary," she said.

Mathias followed as he was escorted through the courtyard and into the keep itself.

"Master Shaw," the secretary said, a concerned wrinkle on his brow. "The Lord Admiral wasn't expecting you today. I hope the news isn't dire."

Mathias shook his head. "Not as such. I'm here on a matter of importance, though, and I'm on a tight schedule."

"One moment, sir." The secretary hurried into Jaina's office and closed the door. Mathias waited, occupying himself by examining the banners on the walls in the reception area. Tapestries of sea battles, and the ensigns of ships covered the space. 

About ten minutes later the secretary returned. "The Lord Admiral will see you now, Master Shaw." He showed Mathias into Jaina's office and closed the door.

"Mathias, this is unexpected. What can I do for you?" She looked up, worry in her blue eyes.

"I'm here about Flynn Fairwind." He stood before her desk.

"Is something wrong?" She gestured to a chair and Mathias sat. He nodded.

"It has come to my attention that Captain Fairwind still has a price on his head in some parts of Kul Tiras, despite abandoning piracy years ago, and all his service to the Alliance during the war. It's past time that he was pardoned for whatever crimes he may have committed. Surely everything he's done for us warrants this. You have him under contract yourself, sponsoring his trading company. Was this an oversight, or are you holding it over him?"

Jaina's eyes widened. "I assure you, Mathias, it's an oversight. I had no idea a pardon had never been issued for him." She reached for a fresh sheet of parchment and her ink and quill. "I'll rectify that immediately. Please, give Fairwind my apologies. I hope he didn't imagine it was deliberate on my part."

"I think he'll understand that you've had a great deal on your mind, both during the war, and since." As long as the pardon was written and in Mathias's hands, nothing else mattered.

She spent several minutes writing, making two copies and putting the Admiralty's seal on the documents, as well as her own personal one. The first she handed to Mathias. "Take this. He deserves far more from us for all he's done." She rose and called her secretary in, handing him the other copy. "Andres, see to it that this is disseminated to every authority in Kul Tiras immediately. Consider it this afternoon's highest priority."

The secretary took it and bowed. "Yes, Lord Admiral."

Mathias held the rolled parchment in his hand. It was worth his lover's life, and he knew it. "Thank you, Jaina. I won't forget this."

"I'm sorry it took your bringing it to my attention to rectify the situation, Mathias. I'll bid you a good afternoon."

Mathias sketched a bow to her and took his leave. 

When he handed the scroll to Flynn that evening, the man's sea-grey eyes went wide as he read. "Mathias…" Flynn's voice was soft with disbelieving astonishment. He threw his arms around Mathias and held on, speechless, for a long time.

When he finally drew back, his empty hand on Mathias's shoulder, Flynn's eyes were wet with tears. "How did you get this?" He held up the pardon, clenched in his fist.

"I asked Jaina for it. She hadn't realized that one didn't already exist."

"So, she wasn't just holding it over my head." Flynn rubbed his sleeve over his eyes to dry the tears.

Mathias shook his head. "No. She was appalled to realize that it hadn't already been granted and offered her personal apologies to you for that fact."

"I just… why did you go to her?" Flynn looked baffled. "I never thought this would happen."

"When I said that I wasn't going to accept the amount of disrespect you've suffered, I was serious. This wasn't just some casual sharp remark, Flynn, it was an active risk to your life. That was intolerable. Anyone could have taken you, from anywhere in the world. They could have dragged you back to someone in Kul Tiras with a grudge to watch your execution and I might never have heard about it until it was too late. It would have been entirely legal, and that--" The thought ripped Mathias's heart. "I will not allow anything of the sort. You are _mine_ and I will remove every threat to you that is within my power to eliminate."

"Mathias…" Flynn's voice was heavy and rough with some immense emotion that Mathias couldn't fathom. He tilted his head. "You need to fuck me _right this second_. I mean it." He dropped the pardon on the table and gave Mathias a shove toward the bedroom.

Mathias's brain froze for just a moment, but then they were both shedding clothes and armor in a frantic race for the bed. Making love with Flynn was like a storm at sea -- rough and deep and a little terrifying -- and it left both of them shattered and sweating afterward. Mathias lay atop Flynn's body, their legs intertwined, idly running his fingertips through the hair on the man's chest as their breathing slowed.

"You gave me my _life_ back," Flynn murmured, tracing the curve of Mathias's cheekbone with his thumb. "That… it's been hanging over me for more than twenty years, and I always did my best to ignore it, because there was never anything that could be done. But…" Flynn sighed and tilted Mathias's head to gaze in his eyes. "It was always there, in the back of my mind. That I'd go into town someday for… anything, really, and end on the gibbet, like my mother." He closed his eyes and swallowed roughly before looking back at Mathias again. "I don't know that it couldn't still happen. Nobody knows how they'll go, after all. But I've been a marked man all my life. Now, suddenly, it's just… _gone_. It's gone, and I haven't the first clue how to feel."

The words ached in Mathias's chest. "Feel loved," he said. "Feel loved, because you are." He kissed Flynn gently. "To take that burden from you was just, and I think it may be the best thing I've ever done."

Flynn grinned, cheeky again. "I thought I was the best thing you'd ever done."

Mathias laughed. "I can't argue with that, you ridiculous man."

***

Their night at the Keep arrived before Flynn knew it. Mathias had arranged to have clothing made for him so that he'd not look too out of place with the nobles. It was patterned after an Admiralty Captain's uniform, but it was quite obviously not. The greens were more subtle, like the ocean in storm, the trim more decorative, and at the peaks of the collar on his coat were small embroidered red macaws, like the ones on his ensign. He had new, fancy scabbards for his cutlasses, chased with gold on the green leather, and new boots. The pants hugged his legs and his ass and he was certain that was entirely Mathias's doing, just because he loved to look at Flynn. The silk sash of his belt swung from his hip down to mid-thigh, fancy as you please.

He cut a fine figure, Flynn had to admit. 

Mathias, though. Tidemother, the man was a vision. He was dressed in all black, with a short, military style coat that just covered his hips. The tall, standing collar and all the detailing were worked in heavy gold, with Stormwind's lions in among the swirling knotwork that ran down his chest beneath the buttons. He had a half-cloak over one shoulder, held there with heavy cords. The other was dressed in an epaulet, and the effect broadened his shoulders and emphasised the taper from his shoulders to his trim waist. His belt had the lion's head as a buckle. His coppery hair and his beard and mustache were perfectly styled and Flynn's chest got tight just looking at him. It was all Flynn could do not to ravish the man in front of all the guests.

They were escorted into the Keep's grand ballroom when they arrived. There were already dozens of people there. A small group of musicians played in one corner, though it wasn't music Flynn was very familiar with. He figured you could dance to it, but he didn't know the steps. Maybe they could be persuaded to play something a little livelier later, after folks had been drinking a bit more.

"Master Mathias Shaw and Captain Flynn Fairwind of Kul Tiras," the escort announced, as they entered the grand double doorway into the room. People turned and looked as they entered. They'd been introduced as a couple, not individuals. Flynn had been told it was significant that their names would be announced together -- that they were explicitly and publicly linked, a unit. The thought warmed him, and he slipped an arm around Mathias's waist.

Mathias led him over to the reception line for King Anduin, and King Greymane and his wife, walking through the crowd with confidence and grace. Flynn followed along, feeling a bit like a stray dog, but determined to see it through. He touched the necklace that Mathias had given him, a little gold disc the size of a coin, with a scallop shell on it. The disc hung at his throat, and Mathias wore a matching one. They weren't large enough to be obvious, but Mathias had said that anyone actually paying attention would understand that they were a set, meant to be together.

"You're doing fine," Mathias murmured into his ear, leaning close; his lips nearly brushed Flynn's earlobe. He shivered at the soft touch of Mathias's breath.

"Feels strange, being here with all these toffs," Flynn said. "Kind of hard to resist picking a pocket, I'll admit."

Mathias snorted. "But you won't."

Flynn smiled. "But I won't."

He was a little restless in the reception line. Everyone ahead of them made a little bow or a curtsey, and had a word or two with Anduin and the Greymanes then moved along so the next person could do the same, so Flynn didn't expect they'd be with them for more than a moment. He wondered if the food at the tables along the sides of the room was any good. It looked ridiculously fancy.

"Is it always like this at these things?" he asked.

"Boring?" Mathias asked. Flynn nodded. "Yes. Mind-numbingly so. Unfortunately, it also tends to be where a lot of the subtle politicking happens, so I have to show up far more often than I care to."

"Are you sure you'd not rather be at sea with me?"

Mathias sighed and smiled sadly. "Frankly, at this point I think I would, but my responsibilities here would never allow for it."

Flynn shook his head, knowing it was true but wishing the world were otherwise for them. "I'd take you away from all this. You'd be free."

"I wish I could be," Mathias whispered.

The sadness in Mathias's voice made Flynn's heart ache. "So do I, love. Maybe someday."

They were presented to King Greymane and Queen Mia at that point. They both made their bows and offered their formal response. When they were presented to Anduin, though, he put a hand on Flynn's wrist. "Captain Fairwind, I was pleased to hear of the success of your recent voyage. Perhaps after the reception line," he tilted his head to indicate the seemingly endless mass of nobility waiting for him, "you'd do me the kindness of regaling me with the tale?"

"It'd be my pleasure, Your Majesty," Flynn said, certain that this was a bit out of the ordinary. He could see some of the upper crust raising eyebrows at the pause in the line's motion, and a few outright gaping at the fact that Anduin had touched him. Mathias just smirked.

As they left the line, Mathias's smirk broadened into a grin. "Oh, that'll have some of them swallowing their tongues."

"That wasn't what normally happens, is it."

Mathias shook his head. "Not even remotely. You've been singled out as someone of very high status, and it's going to absolutely kill some of these people. It's completely taken the wind out of the sails of their insinuations that you're not good enough for me."

Flynn grinned back at him. "I like the sound of that." He nodded toward the row of tables piled with food along the walls. "Are we allowed to eat yet?"

"We are. I have to warn you, though. The food is more for show than it is to fill your belly. It's best to just take a little of anything that looks appealing, and have an actual dinner at home once we're done here."

"Is the booze any good, at least?"

"That," Mathias said, "does actually tend to be top notch."

"Excellent."

They went to the tables and collected little plates with nibbles. Mathias was right. The food wasn't anything Flynn would have eaten by choice. They did get a couple of glasses of wine, though, and it was in fact the good stuff. 

As they were snacking and having a tipple, they were approached by a man Flynn had seen more than once at SI:7. The bloke was obviously a toff, and was dressed for it tonight. He'd always been a little disdainful around Flynn, which irritated him to no end. They'd never actually been introduced, but he suspected it was about to happen, like it or not.

"Master Shaw." The bloke was a bit snippy, but Mathias nodded to him.

"Lord Romano."

The man raised an eyebrow. "And this is your--"

Mathias spoke up before Lord Romano could finish the sentence. It didn't sound like it would have been pleasant. "My matelot, Captain Flynn Fairwind."

Flynn nearly spewed his wine across the room. Mathias hadn't just used the word, he'd pronounced it properly, and it was obvious he knew exactly what he'd just claimed them to be. 

While Flynn was coughing and sputtering, Lord Romano's eyes went wide. "A piratical union for those who don't have the official blessing of the church? Seems appropriate, I suppose." There was a sneer in his voice.

"You've no further room for criticism, Lord Romano. You saw what happened here tonight. I've won. Your insults and insinuations have been rejected at the highest levels. Don't challenge me. You will continue to lose." Mathias's voice was hard and cold. He was very obviously Master Shaw in this moment, and Lord Romano, reluctantly, backed down.

The man shook his head. "It's not over. You've won for the moment. When your _matelot_ \--" he sneered the word, "steps out of line, I'll be proven right. Men like him," he made a dismissive gesture at Flynn, "don't change. I must admit, securing him a pardon was a brilliant move, but the fact that he needed one in the first place…"

Mathias looked up to where Anduin and the Greymanes had adjourned from the reception line. "If you'll excuse us, Lord Romano, we've just been summoned to attend His Majesty."

"Mathias--" Flynn started to wipe his mouth on his fancy sleeve, but thought better of it and picked up a cloth from the table. He wiped away the wine he'd dribbled into his beard.

"Breathe, Flynn," Mathias said. He caressed Flynn's cheek with one gentle hand. "Anduin has summoned us. We should join them."

Flynn caught his breath as Mathias put an arm around him and led him toward Anduin and the Greymanes. "Mathias, did you really mean--"

"Yes. In every particular."

"So you weren't just saying that to fuck with him."

"Not in the least."

"I don't know what to say."

Mathias smiled at him. "We can talk later. We have a royal summons to answer at the moment."

They joined the royalty at the high seats at the end of the room. "Master Shaw, Captain Fairwind, welcome," Anduin said.

"Your Majesties," Mathias responded. They both bowed.

"Captain Fairwind, Master Shaw told me a little about your adventure in Pandaria. I'd love to hear more about it. I spent a great deal of time there myself."

Flynn raised an eyebrow. "If you'd like, Your Majesty." Anduin gestured for him to continue. "Well, it all started when I got a summons from Madam Goya…"

He regaled them with the story, and he didn't exaggerate _too_ terribly much. Flynn prided himself on being a good storyteller, and he imitated voices and made broad gestures, telling them about the battle with Captain Ook, and the destruction of the hozen ship. By halfway through the battle, he had Anduin and Mia laughing, and even Genn Greymane had a bit of a smile on his face. They hung on his description of the damage to the _Arva_ , and their unfortunate encounter with the giant octopus.

At the end of the tale, Anduin was still grinning and he said, "I'm going to ask an indelicate question, Captain Fairwind, but how much did Madam Goya pay you to bring her that tea?"

"Five thousand gold," Flynn said. "On top of the dive gear, and the repairs to the ship. She gave us a bonus as well, a thousand more." Flynn thought they'd made out quite well.

Anduin chuckled. "I hate to tell you, Captain, but from what you've told me, you could easily have asked for at least another ten thousand gold on that adventure and received it. The amount of tea in that chest was very likely worth a minimum of five million gold. Next time you negotiate with Madam Goya, I'd strongly suggest taking your pandaren crew member along."

"Neptulon's tentacles," Flynn gasped, shocked. "I was robbed!"

Anduin laughed. "It certainly appears to be the case, Captain. And now, if you'll excuse us…"

Flynn sputtered in incoherent indignation over the price he could have got. 

"Thank you for your time, Your Majesty," Mathias said. He took Flynn's hand, an exceedingly amused smile on his face, and led him away. Flynn took a breath and let it all go. He'd still come away from the contract with new dive gear, after all. The music around them had turned to something more danceable, but the people on the ballroom floor were doing unfamiliar steps that Flynn had never seen.

"Mathias, I'd love to dance with you, but this--" he waved a hand at the swirling crowd in their lines, "is really beyond me." He gestured out to the garden. "Would you?"

"Of course," Mathias said. Flynn knew the man wasn't much of a dancer, but he remembered how he'd followed as Flynn led when they sailed north the last time.

It was dim in the garden. There were other people out there, largely seated and talking quietly. Flynn took Mathias in his arms and stepped into the rhythm of the music, bouncing and turning with him, breathing him in and relishing the warmth of him. "You know it's traditional to ask a bloke before you declare him your matelot, right?"

"I know," Mathias said, keeping up with Flynn's dance, fluid against his body. "I'd intended to ask. I had the contract drawn up a couple of days ago, but when that smug popinjay came up and dived in, I had to say something that would shut him down hard. I hope you don't mind?"

Flynn spun them around the garden again. "Tide's sake, no! You're utterly mad, but I love you and it would be my honor to be yours. I'm thrilled beyond words that you'll be mine."

The dance tune ended, and they spun to a stop. "Thank you," Flynn said. Mathias smiled and led him over to the edge of the garden, overlooking the mountains and the little valley below. 

They stood together, holding each other under the stars as the music started up again.


End file.
